Remove Apple Defender Security Center Pop-up

If you are receiving a suspicious web page pop-up about “Apple Defender Security Center“, it is safer to just ignore it. You will notice that it has a questionable web address. Also, you must know that download link from this pop-up message can cause adware and virus infection.

Having the “Apple Defender Security Center” redirect does not necessarily mean that your Mac computer is infected. In most instances, this will appear when you pay a visit on malicious sites or compromised web pages. Scripts on these pages intend to open a new tab or redirect the browser to unsolicited websites. If in case you are brought to “Apple Defender Security Center” web page, do not download or update the program as stated. This action can lead to installation of adware onto your Mac computer.

Screenshot of Apple Defender Security Center

It is reported that “Apple Defender Security Center” pop-up is encountered when visiting video sites and other questionable web pages. Whether you are redirected to this site, or you intentionally visit it, clicking on any links or button may put your Mac computer in danger. It tries to convince you to download a file that masked as security application. The truth is, executing this file causes a disaster on your browser as well as the whole computer system. Here are some excerpts from the fake pop-up:

Access to this computer has been blocked due to security reasons. Do not access or restart this computer. Ignoring this critical warning may result in loss of data on this system. Please contact support immediately so that an Apple engineer can walk you through the troubleshooting steps over the phone.

Another one:

Apple Defender Security Center
App: Ads.fiancetrack(2).dll
Threat detected: Trojan Spyware
Access to this computer has been blocked for security reasons.

Ignore “Apple Defender Security Center” and cease the web page that shows it. It is also important to run a virus scan on the Mac computer to ensure that it is free from any threats.

Procedures to Remove Apple Defender Security Center from Mac

This section contains comprehensive guide for Mac users. It will help you remove malicious browser hijacker from internet application.

Procedures on this page are written in a manner that can be easily understand and execute by Mac users.

Quick Fix - Scan the System with Combo Cleaner

Combo Cleaner is a trusted Mac utility application with complete antivirus and optimization features. It is useful in dealing with adware, malware, and PUP's. Moreover, it can get rid of malicious browser hijacker like Apple Defender Security Center. You may need to purchase full version if you require to maximize its premium features.

1. Download the tool from the following page:

2. Double-click the downloaded file and proceed with the installation.

3. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon onto your Applications folder icon.

Install Combo Cleaner

4. Open your Launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon.

5. Wait until antivirus downloads its latest virus definition updates and click on "Start Combo Scan" to start removing Apple Defender Security Center.

Combo Cleaner Scanner

6. Free features of Combo Cleaner include Disk Cleaner, Big Files finder, Duplicate files finder, and Uninstaller. To use antivirus and privacy scanner, users have to upgrade to a premium version.

Proceed with the rest of the removal steps if you are comfortable manually removing malicious objects associated with the threat.

Step 1 : Double-check with MBAM Tool for Mac

1. Download Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac from the link below.

2. Run Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac. It will check for updates and download if most recent version is available. This is necessary in finding recent malware threats including Apple Defender Security Center.

3. If it prompts to close all running web browser, please do so. Thus, we advise you to PRINT this guide for your reference before going offline.

4. Once it opens the user interface, please click on Scan button to start scanning your Mac computer.

MBAM for Mac

5. After the scan, Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac will display a list of identified threats, Apple Defender Security Center is surely part of it. Be sure to select all items in the list. Then, click Remove button to clean the computer.

Check if your internet browser application is no longer being bothered by Apple Defender Security Center. If the browser hijacker still persists, please continue with the steps below to reset internet programs to default settings.

Step 2 : Reset Internet Browser Program

Cleaning your internet browser from clutter and unwanted add-on/extension is a must when dealing with Apple Defender Security Center fake alert. The procedure below discuss on resetting various browsers to its default state.

Clear the Safari Internet Browser (Mac)

1. Open your Safari browser application.
2. In the Safari menu, click on Preferences from the drop-down list.
3. On Preferences window, please select the Privacy tab.
4. Click on Manage Website Data button.
5. Select unwanted/suspicious entry and click the Remove button. If you choose to Remove All, you may be logout from most visited websites and online services. Therefore, we advise to remove suspicious item one at a time to prevent changing behavior towards your favorite websites.
6. If it prompts, please confirm your actions.

7. Next, we will need to clear the Cache. Back at the Safari Preferences window, choose Advanced tab.
8. Navigate to the bottom and activate Show Develop menu in menu bar.
9. Go to Safari menu, choose on Develop from the drop down list and click on on Empty Caches.
10. Next thing to do is to restore the Homepage to your preference and remove the one from Apple Defender Security Center fake alert.
11. Back at the Safari Preferences window, click on General tab.
12. Under Homepage section, type your desired URL to be the default start-up page.
13. Lastly, make sure to have the right Search Engine.
14. Go back to Safari Preferences window and click on Search tab.
15. Select your desired Search tool under the Search engine section.
16. You may not restart Safari browser.

Restore Google Chrome to Default Settings

Resetting Google Chrome to default settings is helpful in deleting hard-to-remove extension that produces the Apple Defender Security Center scam alert. This method is highly advisable to perform if you have difficulty in removing unwanted extension.

1. Open Google Chrome Internet browser.
2. On the address bar, type chrome://settings/reset and press Enter key.
3. Under Reset and clean up section, choose Restore settings to their original defaults.
4. Click Reset settings button to clear all entries related to Apple Defender Security Center scam pop-up.
5. Close the existing tab and restart Google Chrome. That should have removed Apple Defender Security Center extension and associated objects.

Reset Mozilla Firefox to Default

This section describes how to remove unwanted extension from Firefox that may be related to Apple Defender Security Center fake pop-up alert. This process can fix many browser issues by restoring Firefox to factory settings without affecting your essential information (bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and Internet cookies) on the browser. If you desire to remove only specific extension, please see manual removal of add-on from Firefox.

1. Input the string about:support on Firefox web address and press Enter on keyboard.
2. You will now see the Troubleshooting Information page of Mozilla Firefox.
3. You will notice a section on upper-right corner of the screen stating Give Firefox a tune up. Click the Refresh Firefox button.
4. If confirmation window appears, click Refresh Firefox to continue.
5. Firefox browser will close and start the resetting process. When done, it will display a list of restored data. Apple Defender Security Center fake alert should be gone by now. Click Finish to open a fresh version of Firefox.

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