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How Do I Remove This Virus?

I have/had pop up virus TRE456_Worm_OSX a few times now and would like to get rid of it. I have looked on line and there are a couple of programs purporting to remove this completely. What is the safest way to perform the removal of this Virus.

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Ray

Comments: 5 Responses to “How Do I Remove This Virus?”

    6 years ago

    This "TRE456_Worm_OSX" is not a virus. Viruses are really serious and pretty much non-existant on Macs and other modern devices. See my video talking aboutwhat a "virus" really means. Technical Terms: Virus and Malware.

    This "TRE456_Worm_OSX" doesn't even seem to be malware. It is just a web browser scam that is basically a website showing you some false information.

    If you see it pop up while browsing the web, you may be able to simply close the browser window to dismiss it. It is just content like any article or ad you see on a web page.

    If you are running a much older version of Safari, you may not be able to close that window. In that case, just force-quit Safari and start it again while holding the Shift key down so it doesn't reload the same bad webpage.

    Then, don't go back to that website. Either it is a bad website that is trying to trick you into download something to "fix" this non-problem (that would be the real malware). Or, it could simply be a poorly-run website that has been compromised and someone is using it to trick people.

    Whatever you do, it is important to never click on anything or download anything in these fake messages. No website has any ability to know whether your Mac has a virus or any malware. Anything you see like that when browsing the Web is just a scam. And perhaps a dangerous scam too.

    Joss
    6 years ago

    It's a scam trying to get you to download the real malware. Once you install the latter, you are infected. But the initial scam, the TRE456_Worm_OSX warning, is itself not a danger. Best solution is to install a good system-wide adblocker—I recommend Adguard, the desktop version, not the free browser plugin—, so you won't be bothered by these kinds of scams in the first place, but be sure to whitelist macmost.com. :) The first and often most important step regarding OS security is adblocking.

    6 years ago

    Joss: The problem with using Adblockers to combat this (besides that they take away revenue from good honest sites that provide great content) is that these aren't ads. Adblockers are good at blocking ads coming from legit ad servers that are known and displayed in typical ways. But scams aren't playing by those rules. I wouldn't expect an Adblocker to help.
    Oh, and thanks to everyone contributing to MacMost with Patreon, MacMost has no ads anyway :)

    Chuck
    6 years ago

    Gary, I’m looking for up-to-date recommendations from you on how to best clean your Mac from Malware and how to, (if necessary), delete cookies and caches from the Mac. Seems like there are so many people recommending software; I am not covinced the software is necessary or helps do anything. I have always believed the best way to keep “your Mac healthy” is to update, update, update. Perhaps you can speak to these issues again in a up coming Video?

    6 years ago

    Chuck: So do you HAVE malware? If so, then it is a very different answer. If you have malware and don't know how to get rid of it, stop using your Mac immediately and get it to an expert.
    However, if you are just asking in general about anti-virus and "cleaner" software, then I've done many videos and such in the past. See https://macmost.com/do-macs-need-antivirus.html, https://macmost.com/do-you-need-a-mac-cleaning-program.html and general advice at https://macmost.com/virus-and-malware.
    As for deleting cookies and cache, those are both things that in general help you by making sites more convenient and faster. Sometimes cookies have a negative aspect in terms of ad tracking, but that isn't harmful.

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