Do You Use a Mac? Safeguard It Against “MacDefender” Malware by Understanding the Scam and Getting the Fix!
Apple announced last night that it would be sending an update to its OS X operating system that would protect users from and remove a program called “MacDefender” (alias “MacProtector” or “MacSecurity”) that had been finding its way onto some consumer’s machines. The program is a piece of malicious software (or “Malware“), that is ultimately designed to get you to send your credit card number to a company to sell you a program to “fix” the problem.
Here’s how MacDefender works:
- You are browsing Google Images and when you click on an image, you are redirected to a fake “security alert” webpage.
- The security alert webpage informs you that you have been infected with a virus, and recommends you download a free program – MacDefender – to solve the issue.
- MacDefender pops up on your computer as an offering. If you click OK, you’ve just invited the malware onto your system.
- Here’s where it gets malicious. The installed malware begins to make your system appear as if it has become infected with a virus.
- The program regularly opens up new browser windows to pornographic websites. Needless to say, this is very embarrassing, as well as making computer very hard to use.
- At this point you are probably thinking “well, I just installed a new anti-virus program”, and you try to run the MacDefender program. Now it gets really nasty.
