A scam page, advertising a hoax cleanup software, known as
Advanced Mac Cleaner has been detected by users and reported to lock their web browsers, pretending that their Mac is heavily damaged. In addition to this, the pop-up page also falsely advertises an infection with the Tapsnake virus, which is often used in relation to different Mac scams.

Threat Summary
Name | "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam |
Type | Scam Page / PUP for Mac OS |
Short Description | Aims to show a web page that locks the browser and threatens the user with malware infection. |
Symptoms | The web browser begins displaying a web page pretending to come from Apple’s official site, but is in fact fake. The end goal is to download a program, called “Advanced Mac Cleaner”. |
Distribution Method | The web page may appear as a result of opening a malicious ad or having adware that causes browser redirects to it. |
Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam Download Combo Cleaner | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam. |


“Your Mac is Heavily Damaged” – How Did I Get It
The main method via which the the “Your Mac is Heavily Damaged” page can spread is via potentially unwanted programs. These types of software often pose as legitimate apps and come bundled to other installers “as free extra”. And it is not easy to find these programs either, because often they are hidden in the “Advanced” or “Custom” installation steps, so fast clickers tend to skip and head for the Express installation option. They may pretend to also be toolbars and browser add-ons, but in reality they do nothing more but to display adware and the result of this is pages, like the “Your Mac is Heavily Damaged” landing on your Mac and locking it. Usually if this is the case, those programs are often falsely advertised on misleading web pages as useful software, like a file converter, a YouTube video downloader and other add-ins that supposedly improve your browsing experience, but instead flood your Mac with ads, like the “Your Mac is Heavily Damaged”. This is very profitable for adware developers, since they are the ones who profit from you visiting those pages automatically.


“Your Mac is Heavily Damaged” – More Information
Once you land on this page, the following screen is what you see:
In addition to intruding your Mac, the web page may also display other pop-ups with the same or similar message that may ask you to download a program, called Advanced Mac Cleaner.
This is a fake cleanup utility for Mac, which detects all sorts of viruses and errors that may not even be real and when you try to use it to remove these supposedly non-existent threats, Advanced Mac Cleaner wants to charge you money.
The main idea of this is to scam inexperienced users by using their fear that their information is compromised and they may lose access to their Apple IDs, Facebook profiles and even their e-banking accounts. This is why many will fall victims of this scam and use Advanced Mac Cleaner, thinking that the software is legitimate.
If you see this page, you probably think that this may just be a scam page, but it is never known for sure wether or not this page is caused by adware that may be residing on your Mac or in your web browser. This is why, if you see the page or have Advanced Mac Cleaner installed, we strongly recommend that you immediately remove them from your Mac and change your passwords. In addition to this, it is always best to backup your files as well, since such ad-supported programs may have even redirected you to malicious sites.


Remove Advanced Mac Cleaner and “Your Mac is Heavily Damaged”
If you want to remove the software causing the “Your Mac is Heavily Damaged” pop-ups and Advanced Mac Cleaner from your Mac, we advise you to follow the removal instructions underneath this article. They have been created with the clear purpose in mind to help you delete this virus either manually or automatically from both your MacOS and web browsers as well. Be advised, however, that experts always advise using an advanced anti-malware software, the main idea of which is to scan your Mac for any malicious programs and then use it’s algorithms to remove all malicious files and objects related to viruses and adware, like the unwanted program, causing “Your Mac is Heavily Damaged” pop-ups to appear.


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.


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.


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.
Preparation before removing "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam










Step 2: Clean any registries, created by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:






Step 3: Find files created by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam




For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam.
Ransomware infections and "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
For more “how-to” file recovery methods and steps, you can visit our instructive article on “How to Restore Files Encrypted by Ransomware (Without Decrypter)“.


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.
Preparation before removing "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam










Step 2: Clean any registries, created by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:






Step 3: Find files created by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam




For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool


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.
Preparation before removing "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Uninstall "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:






Step 2: Clean your Browsers from "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam.








2. Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.
3. Select the unwanted extension and click “Remove“
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.
2. Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“
3. From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its “Remove” button.
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.
2. Click on the gear icon labeled ‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’
3. In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window.
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’.
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.
2. Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
3. From the drop menu select “Extensions”.
4. Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
5. Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:






Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool


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.
Preparation Phase:
Before starting to follow the steps below, be advised that you should first do the following preparations:
- Backup your files in case the worst happens.
- Make sure to have a device with these instructions on standy.
- Arm yourself with patience.
Step 1: Uninstall "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam 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 "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam 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: Remove "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox






Step 3: Scan for and remove "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as "Your Mac Is Heavily Damaged" Scam, 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.


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.