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Message from Norton indicating it has detected several virus in my MacBook Air

Norton and McAfee keep on posting in my Mac computer "Protect your PC from viruses (has found 5)" Do I need to purchase Norton or McAfee antivirus?

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

Posted on Oct 20, 2023 7:35 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 20, 2023 7:47 AM

A message does not have the ability to bypass the security system of macOS to warn you, or rather; scare you in an attempt to fool you into making poor judgment.


I can assure you, there is no virus whatsoever on your computer.

9 replies

Jan 29, 2024 9:34 PM in response to BellaTheFab

BellaTheFab wrote:

Doesn't turning off the notifications just mask the problem? How do I get rid of whatever is on my computer that is causing the popups?

What is causing the problem, in many cases, is that you got tricked (no judgement, they're clever) into allowing a website to send you notifications. So, the notifications ARE the problem.

Jan 29, 2024 9:46 PM in response to BellaTheFab

BellaTheFab wrote:

Doesn't turning off the notifications just mask the problem? How do I get rid of whatever is on my computer that is causing the popups?

There is nothing on your computer that is causing a problem because the Notification that you allowed from a website is a fake ad trying to get money from you. Some websites will ask you if they have permission to send you Notifications and if you allow them, the Notification can be anything. With sites that are less than legitimate, the notifications you will receive are fake ads that attempt to scare you. They make you think you have a problem and to solve it, you will need to download their software. This is a scam.


The solution is to go to Safari > Settings > Websites > Notification,s and remove all of the sites you have allowed to send you Notifications. You will no longer get those fake messages. In the future, do not allow websites to send you Notifications.

Message from Norton indicating it has detected several virus in my MacBook Air

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