Your Computer is Low On Memory Mac virus displays deceptive warnings
Contents
Your Computer is Low on Memory Mac virus is an annoying potentially unwanted application (PUA) belonging to adware/scareware category that displays deceptive warning messages. Such programs may display different kinds of pop-ups, alerts, and other forms of promotional content in order to force sales of specific products or services for the user. Most of the time, displayed pop-ups have nothing to do with the real system status and installing suggested programs will most likely infect the system with even more useless or potentially unwanted apps. That said, if you have started seeing these shady alerts on your Mac screen, it is best to scan with robust Mac antivirus and remove fake adware-type apps from it.
Thinking that Mac computers can’t get viruses is a popular misconception; in fact, the number of these threats is rising everyday. Specifically, users are targeted with hard-to-recognize adware type programs like Your Computer is Low on Memory Mac virus. This alert typically says:
Your computer is low on memory
To free up some memory, please close a few applications.
Following the message, the pop-up has only one button called “Close” that the user can push, which will likely trigger download of additional applications rather than closing the alert.
Cybersecurity experts have spotted a number of PUAs displaying the said message, including, but not limited to:
- BeAware;
- ScreenCapture.app;
- ScreenSaver.app;
- Spaces.app;
- MacSecurityPlus;
Remove Your Computer is Low on Memory virus using INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Mac (includes scanning for iOS devices). The one-of-a-kind security suite provides VirusBarrier X9 real-time protection against Mac and Windows-based malware, removes existing threats and scans for malware in popular e-mail clients. Includes NetBarrier X9, an intelligent firewall for home, work and public connections.
Numerous potentially unwanted applications have been similar ad campaigns meant to scare the computer user into thinking their computers need a ‘cleanse,’ ‘optimization’ or another service while the actual problem was spyware/malware presence on it. Such types of programs often employ dishonest advertising techniques, such as usage of ‘Your Mac is infected with (3) viruses,” “Install to continue (Java)” or “Your Computer is Low on Memory” phrases in ads to scare the computer user into thinking that their computer’s memory is full, the system lacks essential updates or some non-existent viruses needs to be removed ASAP. Clicking on these ads typically leads to installation of PUAs that display many false positives and urge the victim to purchase software license for a poor-reputation software.
The worst part about these programs that once installed, they are extremely hard to remove for an average computer user; often times, they have helper components that are meant to reinstall the application after its core components have been removed by the user. For this reason, we recommend you to remove Your Mac is Low On Memory pop up virus using excellent antivirus for Mac OS, INTEGO. It scores 100% in OS-specific detection tests and should remove the said adware without problems.
Name | Your Computer is Low on Memory pop-up |
Type | Adware; Scareware; Mac virus |
Target OS | Mac |
Activity | Displays intrusive pop-ups, slows down the computer, causes redirects to suspicious websites or might initiate installation of browser hijackers causing Yahoo redirect or Bing redirect. |
Distribution | Spreads via deceptive pop-ups, software bundles, fake software installers, awaits in unconfirmed software download sources or torrents |
Removal | Remove associated adware/malware using robust Mac antivirus, INTEGO. |
Avoid installation of dubious applications
Adware or scareware-type applications displaying the annoying “Your Computer is Low on Memory” pop-ups typically sneaks into the Mac OS X unnoticed as it hides in a software bundle or disguised as a fake software update. When the user opens the installer thinking that it will install the introduced software, it actually hides a few extras in it; sadly, these extras aren’t mentioned at all on the installer’s screen, or shown in a very fine print in an unnoticeable location.
Such bundled installs can be downloaded from untrustworthy or unofficial software download sources, torrents, and shady file sharing websites. Often times, such malware comes alongside illegal torrents, such as cracked software versions and similar. In cases when user doesn’t have antivirus with real-time protection on, such unwanted software additions can land on the operating system and start their annoying activities immediately.
Another well-known trickery is to serve fake pop-ups on shady websites, stating that user lacks an essential Java or Adobe Flash Player update; these pop-ups are designed to look legitimate and imitate typical operating system system alerts. These websites can even detect user agent technology and serve different software packs for Windows and Mac users alongside the so-called update. After agreeing to install an update that seems legitimate at first sight, the user starts getting annoying alerts, warnings and other ads about critical system status shortly. For this reason, we recommend checking for real updates on official software vendor’s website only.
Remove Your Computer is Low on Memory Mac virus
We recommend you to remove Your Computer is Loc on Memory Mac virus to stop seeing these annoying pop-ups daily. However, since it is unknown how’s the actual culprit program named on your system (there is a number of possible actors), you will need to search for suspicious ones yourself. Manual Mac spyware/malware removal takes time and is a bit complicated for inexperienced users, although possible. You can find a detailed manual as well as automatic removal guide below.
In case you want to opt for automatic Your Computer is Low on Memory virus removal, we strongly recommend using robust Mac antivirus that scores 100% in threat detection tests – INTEGO. Run a scan with it to detect the potentially unwanted applications on your system triggering unwanted activities without your permission.
Manual removal guide
- Click Go in the Mac’s Finder toolbar and select Utilities.
- Here, double-click Activity Monitor app.
- In Activity Monitor, you will need to identify suspicious and resource-consuming apps, select them and click the X (Stop) button in the upper left corner of the window. Our suggestion is to search for Mac Security Plus, Spaces, BeAware, ScreenCapture or ScreenSaver apps and similar ones.
- After clicking the Stop button for an app, you will see a prompt asking do you really want to quit this process. Click Force Quit to continue.
- Now, click the Go button in Mac’s Finder toolbar and select Go to Folder…
- Here, enter /Library/LaunchAgents and click Go.
- Look through the opened folder for suspicious components that possibly belong to the persistent adware serving “Your computer is low on memory” warning. Our recommendation is to look for unrecognized and recently added files. Then, move them to Trash/Bin.
However, malware names hardly ever signal that they are somehow malicious, so you might want to check some questionable names online. For instance, examples of Mac malware related files include com.DataSearch.plist, com.ExpertModuleSearchP.plist, com.pcv.hlpramc.plist, com.updater.mcy.plist, com.avickUpd.plist, com.msp.agent.plist and similar. - Using the Go to Folder feature, navigate to a location called ~/Library/Application Support. You can simply copy and paste this path to the go to Folder window and click Go.
- Here, identify suspicious folders and move them to Trash. Again, you need to use your common sense and look for recently added programs that aren’t related to Mac OS or apps you installed willingly. Examples of unwanted folders include SystemSpecial, IdeaShared, ProgressMatch and DataSearch.
- Use Go to Folder feature once more to navigate to ~/Library/LaunchAgents.
- Here, identify suspicious components and move them to Trash.
- Now, navigate to /Library/LaunchDaemons and eliminate strange or suspicious-looking components possibly related to “Your computer is low on memory” pop-up virus. Known examples of Mac-related malware store com.pplauncher.plist, com.ExpertModuleSearchDaemon.plist, com.DataSearchP.plist, com.startup.plist and similarly named files here.
- Now, clean the rest of Mac locations using the rest of the guide provided below.
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Your computer is low on memory Mac virus Removal Tutorial
To remove the unwanted program from your Mac, use these instructions below to uninstall associated applications from your Mac computer. Then scroll down for instructions how to clean each affected web browser individually.
Remove Your computer is low on memory Mac virus from Mac
- Click on Finder.
- Go to Applications folder.
- Look for suspicious applications you can't remember installing. Right-click them and select Move to Trash.
- After moving all suspicious apps to Trash, right-click the Trash bin in Mac's Dock and select Empty Trash.
Remove using INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Mac (includes scanning for iOS devices). The one-of-a-kind security suite provides VirusBarrier X9 real-time protection against Mac and Windows-based malware, removes existing threats and scans for malware in popular e-mail clients. Includes NetBarrier X9, an intelligent firewall for home, work and public connections.
Remove Your computer is low on memory Mac virus from Safari
Uninstall suspicious Safari extensions
- Open Safari and click on Safari button in the top left corner. Select Preferences in the menu that appears on the screen.
- Now, go to Extensions tab. Look at the left to see all installed extensions, click on suspicious ones and hit that Uninstall button as shown in the picture. Confirm your choice by clicking Uninstall again. Repeat until you get rid of all unwanted extensions.
Change Safari Homepage and default search engine
- In Preferences, open the General tab. Here, check what URL is set as your homepage. Delete it and type in whatever URL you want to set as your Safari Start Page.
- Next, go to the Search tab. Here, choose what Search engine you want to set as default.
- Next, click on Manage websites... then Remove all... and then Done.
Remove push notifications on Safari
Some suspicious websites can try to corrupt your Safari by asking to enable push notifications. If you have accidentally agreed, your browser will be flooded with various intrusive advertisements and pop-ups. You can get rid of them by following this quick guide:
- Open Safari and click on Safari button in the top-left corner of the screen to select Preferences;
- Go to Websites tab and navigate to Notifications on the left side toolbar.
Reset Safari
- Click on Safari > Clear History...
- Then choose to clear All history and hit Clear History button to confirm.
- Go to Safari > Preferences and then open Privacy tab.
- Click Manage Website Data... then Remove All. To finish, click Done.
- Finally, clear Safari cache. In Safari Menu, click Develop > Clear Cache.
Remove Your computer is low on memory Mac virus from Google Chrome
Remove suspicious Chrome extensions
- Open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into address bar and press Enter.
- Here, look for suspicious extensions, and Remove them.
- Don't forget to confirm by pressing Remove in the confirmation pop-up.
Change Start Page settings
- In Chrome address bar, type chrome://settings and press Enter.
- Scroll down to the On startup section. Check for suspicious extensions controlling these settings, and Disable them.
- Additionally, you can set browser to Open a specific page or set of pages via these settings. Simply choose this option, click Add a new page, enter your preferred URL (f.e. www.google.com) and press Add.
Change default search settings
- In Chrome URL bar, type chrome://settings/searchEngines and press Enter. Make sure you type searchEngines, not searchengines. Additionally, you can go to chrome://settings and find Manage search engines option.
- First, look at the list of search engines and find the one you want to set as default. Click the three dots next to it and select Make Default.
- Finally, look through the list and eliminate suspicious entries. Right-click the three dots and select Remove from the list.
Remove push notifications from Chrome
If you want to get rid of the annoying ads and so-called push-notifications viruses, you must identify their components and clean your browser. You can easily remove ads from Chrome by following these steps:
- In Google Chrome, press on Menu (upward arrow) in the top-right corner of the window.
- Select Settings.
- Go to Privacy and Security > Site Settings.
- Open Notifications.
- Here, go to the Allow list and identify suspicious URLs. You can either Block or Remove by pressing on the three vertical dots on the right side of the URL. However, we suggest the Block option, so the site won't ask you to enable the notifications if you ever visit it again.
Reset Google Chrome browser
- The final option is to reset Google Chrome. Type chrome://settings in the URL bar, press Enter and then scroll down until you see Advanced option. Click it and scroll to the bottom of the settings.
- Click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Click Restore settings to confirm.
Remove Your computer is low on memory Mac virus from Mozilla Firefox
Remove unwanted add-ons from Firefox
- Open Firefox and type about:addons in the URL bar. Press Enter.
- Now, click on Extensions (in the left section).
- Click Remove next to every suspicious browser add-on that you can't remember installing.
Change Firefox Homepage
- In Firefox address bar, type about:preferences and hit Enter.
- Look at the left and click the Home tab.
- Here, delete the suspicious URL and type or paste in the URL of a website you'd like to set as your homepage.
Alter preferences in Firefox
- Type about:config in Firefox address bar and hit Enter.
- Click I accept the risk! to continue.
- Here, type in the URL which has taken over your browser without your knowledge. Right-click each value that includes it and choose Reset.
Remove annoying push notifications from Firefox
Suspicious sites that ask to enable push notifications gain access to Mozilla's settings and can deliver intrusive advertisements when browsing the Internet. Therefore, you should remove access to your browser by following these simple steps:
- In Mozilla Firefox, click on Menu (the three horizontal bars) on the top-right corner of the window, then choose Options.
- Click on Privacy and Security, then scroll down to Permissions section.
- Here, find Notifications and click Settings button next to it.
- Identify all unknown URLs and choose to Block them. Click Save Changes afterward.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
- In Firefox, type about:support in the address bar and press Enter.
- Click on Refresh Firefox...
- Click Refresh Firefox again to confirm.
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Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.
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