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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Malware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Feb 2017

How to remove “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” Tech Support Scam virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

“YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” Tech Support Scam virus

Received a suspicious pop-up saying “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED[1]”? Wondering if someone has actually decided to lock iPhone Safari “for security reasons”? If so, you should not rush to call the number provided on the screen of your Mac, iPad or iPhone because you are simply dealing with tech support scammers[2] who are trying to take advantage of unprofessional computer users who are trying to keep malware away from their devices. Safari lock is simply a scam[3] and you should not fall for it. These deceptive messages can compromise your iPhone as well as iPad or Mac computer – none of these devices is resistant to this type of malware yet[4]. The scam is based on dozens of phishing websites that trigger official-looking alerts stating that user’s “Apple computer has been blocked.” Scammers typically use Google Chrome or Safari to display these messages, but other web browsers may be affected as well. Scammers try to manipulate victim’s feelings and scare him/her enough to force him/her call the provided “Apple Care” or “Apple Support” number without thinking. However, calling the provided number simply connects the victim to an underground office of criminals who pose as Apple’s employees although they are not.
“YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” virus

What is more, it has been noticed that the majority of such offices are detected in India, so if you have at least a slightest suspicion that you are dealing with tech support scam and the so-called “certified Apple technician” speaks with a strong Indian accent and asks you to reveal personal information or download and install some remote access programs, better hang up. First of all, real Apple or Microsoft technicians would never ask you to provide sensitive information over the phone. Scammers might try to use your credit card details or your personal information for malevolent purposes, so be aware of tricks they use. For example, they might try to sell you some suspicious “security” software[5] for huge amounts of money ($100-$300 or more), sign in some suspicious portals that look like real Apple websites (phishing pages) using your Apple ID and so on. Remember that by logging into such portals you will simply send your login details directly to criminals servers. If you suspect that your Mac has been affected by “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” virus, run a system scan using MalwarebytesMalwarebytes and remove the infection. If you can’t remove it with the help of this program, we suggest following instructions presented below the article.

How did I get infected with such malware?

“YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” hijack takes place when the user visits compromised websites, downloads or installs questionable files and in many other cases. If you noticed that your Mac/other iOS device started to act suspiciously, you should not ignore it and take actions immediately to solve the problem. The main advice from us is to watch what kind of content you access online. Remember that adult-oriented websites, gambling web pages, and especially websites that stock collections of wallpapers are considered dangerous and most likely to infect your PC with malware. These sites make it to the list of the top hazardous places on the Internet. We advise you to be careful when browsing on one and avoid clicking on banners placed in them, and never explore offers that appear in pop-up or pop-under advertisements.

How to fix my computer after “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” attack?

If you wish to remove “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” virus shortly, run a system scan with MalwarebytesMalwarebytes program. It is compatible with Mac OS and it will help you to clean the system from suspicious components. However, you can also try to delete the infection manually. Use “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” removal instructions provided by our support team – you will find these below.

How to remove “YOUR APPLE COMPUTER HAS BEEN LOCKED” Tech Support Scam virus from your iPhone/iPad:

1. Press down Sleep/Wake button on your device, and also Home button (both at the same time)! Hold down these buttons until the device turns off. 

2. Wait a little and then turn the device back on. 

3. Delete browsing related information from your device: just go to Settings > Safari > Clear History > Clear Cookies and Data/Clear History and Website Data.

To learn how to uninstall the virus from Mac OS, see instructions provided below.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

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

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

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

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

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

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

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

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

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

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

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

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

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

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

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

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