Apple.com-cleaning-os.live – a pop-up which brings false information to promote third-party Mac cleaning tools

Apple.com-cleaning-os.live is considered to be a scamming application[1] which has a goal to promote rogue Mac cleaning software. It is known that if any user experiences this type of pop-up, he/she receives a suspicious message that claims about e.tre456_worm_osx trojan and other virus-related system infections. Victims are urged by this frightening notification to scan their computers and download a Mac device cleaning program which is supposed to deal with the trojan[2] and other viruses. According to some research, developers who spread Apple.com-cleaning-os.live virus promote untrusted software such as MacCleaner, Mac Tweak Pro, and Advanced Mac Cleaner. However, we want to inform all victims that this type of scareware is usually caused by another potentially unwanted application and does not provide any reliable or trustworthy information about Mac computer systems.
| Name | Apple.com-cleaning-os.live |
|---|---|
| Type | Pop-up scam/Mac virus |
| Cause | This rogue notification can be caused by a certain type of potentially unwanted program that got installed on the victim's computer unknowingly |
| Spotted on | Mac computers |
| Promoted objects | The rogue pop-up was created by developers to promote specific third-party software which is created to clean Mac computers but does not fulfill its promised functions |
| Information delivered | The message claims that Mac OS X is infected with 3 viruses, one of which is a dangerous trojan. This scary information is delivered to users to convince that their computers need quick fixing |
| Possible dangers | If you decide to purchase the offered tools, you might be left with money losses and completely useless software |
| Detection purposes | FortectIntego is a program which you can trust in adware and malware detection |
| Removal process | If you have found a potentially unwanted program which is guilty of all of the advertising activity, you should get rid of it immediately by using reputable tools or the below-provided step-by-step guide |
Users who overcome Apple.com-cleaning-os.live pop-up only on specific websites need to know one main thing. If the rogue notification is not occurring frequently and shows up only on unprotected pages, there might be a quick and simple solution for your problem as no potentially unwanted application is probably guilty for this kind of activity.
However, first, perform a full system scan and make sure that no rogue objects are the cause of Apple.com-cleaning-os.live pop-up notification. We suggest using a tool such as FortectIntego for the scanning process. If you figure out that this is not the case, you should try installing an adblocking tool on your commonly used web browsers.
We strongly recommend getting a plug-in such as AdBlock[3] or AdBlock + as such components are completely free and are truly capable of blocking various adverts from showing up while browsing the Internet. This method might also help you to stop receiving dubious notifications from Apple.com-cleaning-os.live.
Additionally, you should ignore all recommendations of the pop-up scam and definitely DO NOT try to download or install any rogue Mac cleaning tools as you might be tricked to pay a big amount of money and receive a completely useless product. Note that, Apple.com-cleaning-os.live might also be considered as a scareware program so it CANNOT be trusted from any point of view.
If you are experiencing rogue advertising, redirecting activities, and if you have been receiving the scary pop-up very frequently, you should remove Apple.com-cleaning-os.live virus without any hesitation. Determine the cause of such activity and make sure that all adware-related objects are terminated safely and effectively.
Also, you need to know, that refreshing web browsers after the Apple.com-cleaning-os.live removal is a necessary step to perform. Potentially unwanted software can place rogue objects in your web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Safari, and start performing changes in the homepage or new tab URL sections.

Suspicious programs have the ability to appear on various machines
According to cybersecurity researchers from Virusai.lt,[4] developers create their programs in a way that they might be able to sneak into the system unknowingly and perform rogue activities that they are created to carry. Potentially unwanted or even dangerous apps have a wide range of intrusive abilities and need to be removed right after detection.
However, that is not enough. Users have to gain some basic knowledge of the distribution techniques of adware, scareware, scamming messages, and other dubious programs. First of all, rogue content is often injected into other software that users download via indirect hyperlinks or third-party downloading sources.
For secret infiltration not to succeed, you need to always pay attention to downloading and installing steps, never skip any crucial ones. Additionally, to lengthen the process, use the Custom installation mode which gives you the ability to spot all suspicious incoming objects and deny the installation of them in time.
Continuously, potentially unwanted content can be also delivered on websites which lack protection or through developer-promoted advertisements. Make sure that you take care of your system when completing even simple browsing actions and avoid landing on questionable pages as much as possible.
Elimination rules for Apple.com-cleaning-os.live pop-up scam
If the scamming application has occupied your computer and has been appearing frequently, you need to detect the cause of it as soon as possible and eliminate it from the system permanently. Use reputable machine scanning tools and perform a full system check. After that, you can remove Apple.com-cleaning-os.live virus from your Mac device together with other helper objects that are producing and displaying rogue pop-up notifications on your computer screen.
Apple.com-cleaning-os.live removal might not be a difficult process to carry out on your own either. If you are a more experienced user, you can try reviewing the below-presented elimination guide and getting rid of suspicious content from your Mac computer system and web browser applications such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or others.
Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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