A few weeks ago, as I was working on my Mac mini, I received a rather odd notification, warning that my Mac was at risk for malware. The notification included a link to perform a scan. Of course, I knew better and did not click the link. But I can easily see a less tech savvy user clicking the notification in a moment of panic.
As a rule, I tend to be very cautious when it comes to browsing sites on the Internet. One self-imposed security measure involves avoiding unscrupulous websites. As such, I was perplexed at how such a notification could have come about. Thankfully, the issue was resolved quickly. I documented my troubleshooting steps in the hopes that others can avoid getting tricked into installing malware.
Being level-headed had a lot to do with it.
-Krishna