What is the “Your Account Has Been Locked” scam? How does “Your Account Has Been Locked” scam work? How to remove “Your Account Has Been Locked” scam from your Mac?
A new scam message likely caused by a virus on your mac has been reported by many users. The scam’s primary purpose. The main idea of this scam is to get you to type in your login credentials for your Apple account, which is basically a phishing attack. Usually phishing pages can appear on your computer due to several different reasons, one of them being either adware ot other forms of malware that may have corrupted your Mac.
Threat Summary
| Name | |
| Type | Virus for Mac OS |
| Short Description | A phishing page likely caused by a browser redirect due to adware or a Trojan on your computer. |
| Symptoms | Aims to display a fake Mac virus message. The primary idea of this message is to convince victims to enter their username and password. |
| Distribution Method | Via various different types of viruses or adware. |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Combo Cleaner | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss . |
Mac Virus – How Did I Get It and What Does It Do?
The primary idea of the Mac Virus is to convince victims to enter their information. To do this, it causes a browser redirection, whose main goal is to show the following message:
Text from image:
You account has been locked
It look like your account is outdate and request to update account
ownership information, so we can protect your account and im prove our
service to maintenance your privacy. To countinue using your account
again, we advice you to update the information before 24 hours or your
account will be permanently locked.
Account Venfication
Please verify your account as soon as possible follow intruction to
confirm your identity. Our team will disable your account in 24 hours.
Information Expired Account
Dear.
Your account has expired and we temporarily blocked your account.
To reopen your account and use it, renew identity to update your account,
click the https: app e d apple.co:r and follow the instruction.
We wait 3 days, if you do not respond, we will lock your account for the
next 2 years, renew your account. For Apple ID to be update to make your
account more Secure
Apple Support
This web page may have come to either one of the web browsers on your Mac and its main goal is to get you to click the “Account Verification” button. It may ask you to type in not only your username and password, but also other personal information as well, like your credit card details, for example.
Seeing this page, likely means that you may have an unwanted program installed on your Mac. Such unwanted software often finds its way on your computer by either being added to the installers of other programs or by being advertised as a legitimate program open for free download.
Once you download such unwanted program on your computer, the “Your Account Has Been Locked” redirects may not be your only program. The app may also show other ads such as:
- Pop-ups.
- Browser redirections.
- Banners.
- Highlighted text ads.
If you see redirects coming from “Your Account Has Been Locked” it I imperative that you know that this program is unwanted on your computer. It may not only show phishing pages, like “Your Account Has Been Locked”, but may also lead you via redirects to sites that are malicious and may infect your computer with malware.
Remove Your Account Has Been Locked Mac Virus
To remove Your Account Has Been Locked scam, you should eliminate the software that is causing it to appear. This way you will be able to get rid of the redirects on your browser without them coming back. There are two solutions to this – manual and automatic. If you know how to remove Your Account Has Been Locked manually and you have identified the program by yourself, then you can use the step by step manual underneath. However, If you want to remove Your Account Has Been Locked automatically and you feel unsure that you have fully removed it, we strongly advise you to download and run a scan using an advanced malware removal software. It will make sure to detect and remove all files created by Your Account Has Been Locked virus and stop such redirects in the future as well.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: Get rid of from Mac OS X.
- Guide 2: Remove from Google Chrome.
- Guide 3: Erase from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 4: Uninstall from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 5: Delete from Safari.
- Guide 6: Eliminate from Internet Explorer.
Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove malware from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts, programs and malware, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Delete from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the will be removed.
Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
FAQ
What is ?
is classified as a potentially unwanted app for Mac. It appears like a normal app, but it may cause unpleasant pop-ups and redirects on your Mac.
Be aware, that may be able to affect the browsers Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Edge and Opera. It may they perform unwanted activities on your Mac.
Such can turn out to be showing advertisements of all types, slowing down your Mac's performance and even infecting your Mac with other viruses by showing you dangerous ads.
Is a Virus?
No, but it is just as risky. The object is not entirely a virus but it is still as dangerous as a virus for your Mac and your information. The main reason for that is because can use cookies and other tracking technologies that may obtain personal information from your Mac while you are browsing.
It may also cause dangers and may lead to risky websites, such as:
- Phishing sites.
- Web pages that are scam.
- Sites that may contain viruses.
These are the main reasons why threatening is considered by experts to be indirectly dangerous to your Mac.
Can my Mac get virus?
The answer to this question is "yes". Unfortunately it opened happens that Mac devices become infected with different types of malware, adware and other threats. This causes a lot of problems for both companies and users.
How did I get ?
could be spread to Mac computers via several methods. One of those methods is via the installers of third party apps. This technique is called software bundling.
Also, adware could be included in the installer steps of an app you may have downloaded for your Mac from a third party website. Search app could be a media player or some other free software you may have tried to recently install.
You may have missed , because it could be hiding in one of the install steps or could be offered as a "free extra" or an "optional offer".
How to remove from my Mac?
By removing its core files. To get rid of from your Mac, security experts strongly advise to scan it with a professional anti-malware app for Mac.
An anti-malware security app has the capability of scanning all of the areas in your Mac were could be residing.
It will also make sure that is permanently gone from your Mac and that your Mac is safe in the future.
How to protect my Mac from viruses?
To protect your Mac from all sorts of virus threats, you can can minimize the risk of getting a virus in the first place. This is why we strongly recommend that you take the following steps for protection on your Mac below:
1. Register for a VPN service of your choice.
2. Clear the cookies that are on your web browsers and uninstall any browser extensions from them that you believe are suspicious.
3. Download and install reputable malware removal and protection software.
4. Always check if the website you're visiting has HTTPS instead of just HTTP in its address. This indicates that a site is secure.
5. Do not type any personal info on websites which are with low reputation or you can't trust.
6. Always check if the site you're visiting is the real web page at not a fake one by looking at the address bar. Many fishing websites that contain viruses change one or two letters in the main domain name of the site they're trying to mimic.
7. Always link your cell phone phone to your Bank Accounts, PayPal, Facebook, Gmail, Instagram and other accounts. This will allow you to see notification if somebody else logged in from your account and makes account hijacking nearly impossible.
8. Always find a way to backup all your important files regularly. You can save them on a USB stick or use Cloud backup services, like Google Drive. iDrive, Onedrive and others.
