Problem with Application Notifications in System Settings for Mac when I open Safari

Question

Problem with Application Notifications in System Settings for Mac when I open Safari

When I open Safari and then look at Apple System Settings, then Notifications (App Notifications), I see websites that should not be there. When I turn off notifications for each one, they come back again when I restart my Mac and open Safari. They also show up in Safari Settings under Websites & Notifications. They all go away when I do a Clear History in Safari. But the next time I restart or turn on my Mac and open Safari, there they are again. The same exact ones, not different ones. I can't find these sites or suspicious apps anywhere. All the basic remedies don't work. These don't seem to be safe sites and might represent some sort of virus or malware, but I have not experienced any problems that I know of yet. I don't know how long I've had this problem as I just noticed this by chance recently. I did install Sequoia recently and am wondering if this is the problem? Any ideas?

iMac 24″, macOS 15.1

Posted on Nov 4, 2024 7:45 PM

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Answer 1

etresoft

Level 9

52,774 points

Nov 18, 2024 12:02 PM in response to wallyfromsunnyislesbeach

There is a setting in Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications that prevents websites from asking to send notifications. That should always be disabled. Sometimes it gets re-enabled.

If you've already done this and websites are coming back, then your TCC database (transparency, consent, and control) might be corrupted. In this case, maybe try restarting in Safe Mode, as described here: Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

If Safe Mode doesn't work, sometimes making some purposeful changes will fix the corruption. Change a setting on one of those web sites. Change that global flag one way and back. Restart in Safe Mode again.

If all this doesn't work, there are some Terminal commands that will reset your TCC database. Unfortunately, given the nature of this kind of database, 3rd party apps just love to hack around on it.

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Answer 2

AlWeir

Level 4

3,807 points

Nov 5, 2024 5:54 AM in response to wallyfromsunnyislesbeach

I would clear you DNS Cache

To clear your DNS cache in Terminal on a Mac, you can use the following commands:

Open Terminal
Paste in the following commands:

- sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Press Return, enter your password, and press Return again
Quit Terminal

Flushing your DNS cache can help improve your browsing experience and browser performance. It can also help troubleshoot named server errors.

I would also look at your cookies and delete the ones that look like they might associated with the phantom websites.

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Answer 3

Nov 18, 2024 11:43 AM in response to AlWeir

Back from a week off. I cleared DNS cache and it did not help.

I just backed up my computer with time machine and erased then reinstalled Sequoia and reinstalled selectively my files. This did not work either to my surprise. Something I reinstalled reloaded the problem. I don't know what to do next? I might install the OS before Sequoia to see if it is a bug? Any ideas what I should try next? Thanks.

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