The page at www.applefirewall.support says:

[tastyorange]

This scam has popped up, causing some issues. I tried adware medic, but its scan shows nothing:

"(1) Firewall Alert:
YOUR APPLE Firewall has CRASHED / SPYWARE VIRUS

Call immediately for assistance on how to remove the potential virus. Contact Apple Support at 1 855-582-0026 (Toll Free)

Possible network damages if potential viruses are not removed immediately:
UNKNOWN

DATA EXPOSED TO POSSIBLE RISK:
1. Your Facebook, Skype, AIM, ICQ and other chat logs
2. Your private photos, family photos and other sensitive files

MORE ABOUT THE VIRUS:
Seeing these pop-up's means that you may have a virus installed on your computer which puts the security of your personal data at a serious risk. It's strongly advised that you call the number above and get your computer inspected before you continue using your internet, especially for shopping.

Call immediately for assistance on how to perform your check. Apple Technical Support at 1-855-582-0026(Toll Free).…"

 

[lclev]

Well obviously it is a scam. The number has been reported as a scam - google it to see all the complaints.

As for the pop up - I would guess your browser has been hijacked. I would suggest:

1. Disconnect from the internet. Either disable the computer connection or turn off your router.

2. Reset your browser - clear your browser cache.

3. Check for unknown extensions that may have been added.

4. Make sure your home page has not been changed.

5. Turn internet connection back on.

With more information I could give more specifics like which browser and what version of OS X are you running.

Lisa

 

[pigoo3]

If I'm understanding correctly…this is a common "ransomware" issue. This is where a web page is encountered that you cannot close.

What you have to do is:

- turn off your computers WiFi or disconnect the ethernet cable if connected t your network that way.
- close Safari
- reopen Safari
- close the offending pages/tabs
- turn the WiFi back on or reconnect the ethernet cable

HTH,

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

Beat me to it Lisa!

- Nick

 

[chscag]

Beat me to it Lisa!

- Nick

LOL, looks like those "T-Rex" arms can type faster than you Nick!

 

[lclev]

Yeah fast fingers that's me.

Lisa

 

[pigoo3]

I will almost always lose when it comes to a typing speed test!

- Nick

 

[Rod]

I hate to think how many people might ring that number (nice of them to make it toll free).
Yep, obviously a scam so following the above suggestions from pigoo3 and lclev is definitely the way to go and you might like to start using Ghostery or AdBlock plus extensions on your browsers not to mention running the donationware app ClamXav from here; ClamXav

 

[chas_m]

Additional tip for those afflicted with pop-ups/adware:

Re-opening Safari with the option key hold down will BYPASS any "open with previous page" type preference, so the adware doesn't get a chance to take over again.

 

[squibby14]

next steps

I received the pop up on my computer and followed the steps mentioned in the tread. However, when I logged back my homepage was in fact changed from google to yahoo. What does that mean?? What do you suggest I do now?

 

[MacInWin]

Change it to whatever you want.

 

[rawpaint]

Having same problem and none of the fixes work...

Hi, I'm new to this forum but found the discussion by googling...

Alright, I'm having the same problem. However NONE of the fixes mentioned above in this thread work. I'm on my MacbookPro running 10.7.5. I followed a link from an email (that I was suspicious of, but not suspicious enough of, obviously).

I've quit Safari (takes a long time to quit and once during this process had to force-quit), turned off wifi (only way I'm connected) re-launced Safari... but it always reloads the hijacked pop-up and page. I've tried restarting my computer. Same deal. I've tried holding down the "option" key and every other key I can think of while launching Safari. Same deal. At one point I did manage to empty the cache but this still didn't help. The ONLY improvement I've had is, although the pop-up is there, the web page behind it didn't load (just blank white). I've tried to delete Safari so I could reinstall it but get an error message saying Safari can't be modified or deleted because it is needed by OS X.... So... **** if I know what to do.

Any other suggestions anyone??

By the way, the email I clicked through from was from something called "Linkedin Pulse" ... obviously a fake representative of Linkedin.

 

[MacInWin]

Welcome to the forum!

Try AdwareMedic. It should clean out the popup. You can also try cleaning out the cache by using the top menu, "Safari/Clear History..." to clean out the entire history. And Onyx will also clean the cache for Safari along with other caches that probably should be cleaned periodically.