Free streaming’s hidden dangers–and how to protect your Mac

Streaming services have become the most popular way to watch movies and TV on a Mac. But rising prices and the number of services now available can make it hard to afford all the subscriptions required to deliver the content you want to watch.

That means it’s tempting when you come across websites like MyFlixer, which offers loads of AAA titles at no cost. Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and you should always be deeply suspicious of sites that contain free versions of premium content.

MyFlixer has already been banned or blocked in several countries, but mirror sites reappear quickly, making it hard to stop people accessing the portal. It’s not just the fact that the content is provides is very likely pirated, but more importantly you could soon find yourself with intrusive ads or even malware on your system that puts your personal information at risk.

If you are going to continue to use MyFlixer or the like, here’s how to protect yourself and your Mac from the dangers that lurk on free streaming sites.

What is the MyFlixer virus?

Just visiting the MyFlixer site shouldn’t immediately infect your Mac with malware. But you’ll very quickly be prompted to accept new content alerts, push notifications or browser extensions. If you do this, you’ll then be pestered by adware to download things like companion apps, which will most likely turn out to be malware.

The approaches differ for each mirror-site, but the method of getting an infection onto your system is usually similar. If you’ve already fallen for the tricks the sites employ, then you’ll need to clean up your browser prompts, remove any extensions or apps, and use anti-virus software to restore your machine back to full health. We’ll cover all these steps below so that you fix the problems that can be caused by using MyFlixer.

How to remove the MyFlixer browser extension

It’s quite easy to remove the MyFlixer extension from your browser. Here’s the methods needed for some of the most popular browers on macOS.

How to remove the MyFlixer Safari browser extension

Removing the MyFlixer Safari extension is easy and is the same way you’d remove any extension from the browser. Here’s the steps:

1. Open Safari
2. Go to Safari > Settings then select the Extensions tab.
3. In the left column, click on the Extension you want to remove
4. Click Uninstall

How to remove the MyFlixer Chrome browser extension

To remove the extension on your Chrome browser, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Open Chrome
2. Click on the Extensions icon in the toolbar (looks like a puzzle piece)
3. Find the extension you want to remove, then click the three dots to the right of its name
4. Click Remove from Chrome
5. You’ll be asked to confirm your decision, so click Remove to finish.

How to remove the MyFlixer Firefox browser extension

If you prefer to use Firefox, here’s what’s required to remove the extension:

1. Open Firefox
2. Click on the Extensions icon in the tool bar (looks like a puzzle piece)
3. Click the Settings icon (Cog) to the right of the extension you want to remove
4. Select Remove Extension
5. Confirm your choice by clicking Remove

How to stop push notifications from MyFlixer

With the extension removed, you’ll still need to deal with the push notifications that will flood you with adware and potential malware. Here’s the steps to take on the most popular browsers.

How to remove MyFlixer push notifications on Safari

To stop notifications from MyFlixer, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Open Safari
2. Select the Websites tab
3. In the left column select Notifications
4. In the main pane, select the MyFlixter option and set the drop-down menu to Deny
5. Next, select the Pop-up Windows option from the left column
6. Again, find the MyFlixer site and this time set the drop-down menu to Block

How to remove MyFlixer push notifications on Chrome

The instructions are a little different on Chrome:

1. Open Chrome
2. Click the three dots icon in the top right corner
3. Select Settings > Privacy and security
4. Scroll down and select Site settings
5. Find the MyFlixer site and click on it
6. Adjust all the settings to Block
7. Go back to the Site settings page and select Pop-up and Redirects
8. In the ‘Not allowed to send pop-ups or use redirects’ section, click Add
9. Enter the web address that’s sending you notifications and click Add

How to remove MyFlixer push notifications on Firefox

1. Open Firefox
2. Click on the three lines in the top right corner
3. Select Settings
4. From the left column choose Privacy & Security
5. Scroll down to Permissions and click on the Settings button for Notifications
6. Select the Block option for the MyFlixer website
7. Click Save Changes

How to find and remove MyFlixer malware

Clearing a virus or malware off your system isn’t something you can really do yourself, so if you think your system may be compromised then you’ll need to use an antivirus program. You’ll see plenty of free ones around, but most of these only scan for infection and won’t remove anything until you move to the paid version – which makes sense as it is providing a professional service.

We recommend taking a look at our Best Mac Antivirus Software chart to see the products that we’ve tested and found to be the most reliable. A prime example is Intego Mac Security X9, which tops the chart at the time of writing. You can find out more in our Intego Mac Security X9 review. Using this software should locate and remove any malware from your Mac that MyFlixer (or any other site) has managed to install on your system. You can read a more detailed explanation of the process in our How to remove a virus from your Mac tutorial.

While the immediate threat is dealt with by antivirus, there can still be files and other junk left behind, so we’d also recommend you use a Mac Cleaner app to completely return your Mac to a pristine state. CleanMyMac is an excellent option, with a friendly and easy to understand interface that allows you to know what needs fixing without bombarding you with confusing information. You can find out more in our CleanMyMac review.

Once you have these apps on your Mac, it’s a good idea to run them periodically to ensure your data is safe and that your system is running to its full potential.

How to avoid the MyFlixer virus

While free streaming sites might seem incredibly tempting, there’s often a hidden cost involved…and it can be nasty. Basically, if you’re being offered something that you know you’d normally have to pay for, then the chances are it’s some kind of scam or delivery method for malware. So, to stay safe, don’t visit those sites and certainly don’t download anything from them. That’s just asking for trouble.

If you really want to enjoy movies and TV shows on your Mac, then the safest way is through a paid service. It means you’re not ripping off the people that work hard to create the content and aren’t playing into the hands of cybercriminals that want to steal your data.

You don’t have to sign up to all of them at the same time though. Most services offer free trials, so you could always work your way through those first. When you’ve exhausted those, simply sign up to one and binge what you want, then cancel your subscription and repeat the process on the next one. This way you minimise what you have to pay, while ensuring you don’t get any dangerous malware on your computer.

Author: Martyn Casserly, Contributor, Macworld