You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Safari Malware - remove viruses from 19216811

Issue: A repeating alert warning that your Mac is infected with a virus. Don't click the option. The window disappears on its own.


Fix: Safari settings: Websites/Notifications. Deny then delete the file 19216811. Quit Safari and restart. Done.

Mac Studio, macOS 13.5

Posted on Aug 22, 2023 7:51 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 22, 2023 8:56 AM

A virus is malware. So is a worm or Trojan. You can't treat them as separate things. The word malware is a generic term for anything you wouldn't want on your computer. It means malicious software.


But yes, I understand you were just trying to convey helpful information.

6 replies

Aug 22, 2023 7:59 AM in response to Leigh Mackay

Nothing new. This has been going on for months.


There is no virus involved. It's just notification spam. A website you visited allowed itself to be added to notifications in Safari. Or, another common trick is to have you click on a button at their site that asks to do something seemingly innocuous (like "Click here if you enjoy this site!"). But what you really did was give the site the okee dokee to add itself to your notifications list.

Aug 22, 2023 8:36 AM in response to Kurt Lang

That's correct: no virus involved. It's highly annoying malware.


What I really didn't do was give the site the okee dokee to add itself to my notifications list. As you initially stated, the website was allowed to add the notification to my list. I didn't accept/allow/permit anything.


What I offer is a fix should someone else have the same experience. Thanks, Kurt.


Cheers

Aug 22, 2023 9:33 AM in response to Kurt Lang

How fascinating! Thank you for adding so much distinction and clarity to a discussion that wasn't intended to be a discussion but, through your more than generous efforts, has turned into one.


This thread's title contains my words "Safari malware", a dash, and the malware author's words "removes viruses". I think that anyone with the issue would use those terms in a search. I did with success.


I think we've all learned something here—I know I have. Cheers to one and all.


Safari Malware - remove viruses from 19216811

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.