I was browsing for Netflix on Google Chrome on my Mac Air M1 when I misspelled the website, and it directed me to a sketchy site. The site claimed there were viruses on my computer and prompted me to start a scan. I panicked and closed the window before downloading anything, but now I'm worried about potential viruses since the URL was quite strange with extra letters. What should I do?
3 Answers
Yep, those were just fake notifications trying to make you think you have a virus so they can get you to pay for a solution. Browser security is pretty solid these days, so getting a virus just by visiting a site is really uncommon. You're likely safe!
Don't stress too much! It sounds like you encountered some fake ads. As long as you didn't download anything or click on suspicious links, your computer should be fine. Just be cautious in the future.
Exactly! If a site warns you about viruses, just close the tab without clicking anything. It's usually just a trick to scare you.
You might have accidentally allowed notifications from that site. If that's the case, you'll keep getting those virus alerts until you disable notifications from them in your browser settings. It’s easy to fix!
Right, and if you have antivirus software on your computer, that can help check for anything suspicious too!