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ProQuiz

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 15, 2009
283
117
There was a forum I use to visit quite some time ago that I just wanted to see if it was still around and whatnot. I visited it but when it was loading, it redirected me to some Chinese website with a very weird URL. Can someone just let me know if my Mac is still "safe" and not infected with anything?

Original URL: www.emiratesmustangclub.com
Redirected to: https://zq.xxjsqvip.com/
 

ProQuiz

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 15, 2009
283
117
But the website I was redirected to looks like some sort of scam website (unless I am wrong). Also, it seems the original forum no longer exists.
 

mystery hill

macrumors 65816
Apr 2, 2021
1,057
3,979
I also get redirected to the same site on my phone. The forum you used to visit may have shut down, and someone probably purchased the domain name when it expired and set it to forward to the new address.
 
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ProQuiz

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 15, 2009
283
117
Okay, I'll take your word for it. But the website it redirected to just looks a bit shady to me.

Edit: Just to be clear, I didn't mean I was getting redirected because I have a virus or malware. I wanted to know that the website it gets redirected to is not some virus or malware inflecting site because it looks a bit shady.
 
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bradman83

macrumors 65816
Oct 29, 2020
1,286
3,266
Buffalo, NY
Years ago it would be possible to be exposed to malware by simply visiting a website; this is called a "drive-by download." Most modern web browsers block these by default, and most modern operating systems don't allow the malware to be installed.

So assuming you haven't disabled all of the security protections on your Mac or whatever browser you used (and said browser isn't ancient), and assuming you didn't click OK on any prompts or enter your system password to allow an install you should be fine.

You could, however, have been exposed to various tracking cookies, again depending on the browser you used. Firefox and Safari are better at blocking these than Chrome (Edge is somewhere in the middle). If you'd like to be certain that there aren't any tracking cookies from those websites I would recommend clearing your browser's cookies and browsing history.

Even if the website you were directed to featured drive-by download malware it's unlikely it would be targeting macOS, it would likely be a Windows-targeting threat.

There are free antivirus solutions from reputable companies you can install if you want to scan your system just to be safe (Avira is a free one I've used in the past when my corporate VPN required an antivirus solution be installed).
 

warpmoon

macrumors newbie
Jun 7, 2009
15
2
Why? Just because it is in Chinese doesn't make it shady. Looks like it is for a VPN service - Bear Accelerator.
It's fair to say that the practice of repurposing a domain name for an entirely new purpose, that appears to have no relation to the former site, is shady.

That is shady no matter the language used.

Having said that... reading the description of what they offer it seems like something I would call a "reverse VPN"; Instead of people living in China using a VPN to circumvent the Great Firewall, people who live oversees outside firewalls normal reach can use this VPN to let the authorities in China know everything they do.

Fortunately, the app is only listed as having 10+ downloads.
 

LavaLevel

macrumors member
Feb 26, 2024
59
141
Ugh... I clicked on a fake 'Are You Human' pop-up that looked legit. (Well legit enough without my morning coffee & glasses 😂) And now I get this pop-up in Notifications.

Shouldn't I be able to simply turn that fake notification off in Safari? I'm not interested in buying an anti-Malware program atm.

anyone steer me in right direction?
 

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LavaLevel

macrumors member
Feb 26, 2024
59
141
Ah. I found it. Me asking if 'I was human' created a Notification for updates-mac.com which is a notification b.s. website and I turned it off.

So if anyone else gets this, simply go to:
Apple/Settings/Notifications and you should be able to find the Notification there to disable or unAllow it.

also to blast it from Safari:
Safari/Settings/Websites [Tab]/Notifications[side Menu]/ Click on it [updates-macos.com in this case]/Remove

That should save a few bucks on buying Malware (Apple OS has this built in) and never click on the site and give them money to 'fix the[their] problem'

hope that helps others.
 
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