A Mac virus? Until recently, the possibility was practically science fiction, but apparently, for some days now, MacDefender has been circulating, a malware in the form of scareware that targets Apple’s secure system.
Perhaps it’s due to the research involved or the fact that Apple operates in a closed, secure ecosystem, but Apple devices have historically been immune to virus issues. Until now, apparently. Malware, in the form of scareware, with the seemingly reassuring name “MacDefender” (also known as MacSecurity), is currently spreading.
The technique, which is extremely well-known yet unfortunately still highly effective for those who fall for it, is the “fake antivirus” approach: MacDefender is suggested as a solution to protect Macs from viruses.
The first unfortunate victims who entered their username and password to purchase this solution, falsely believing they were infected with Trojans or other viruses, fell into the trap in late April. Since then, assistance requests to AppleCare have multiplied, but no official response has yet come from Cupertino to curb the problem, perhaps because technicians are working on providing precise and detailed answers. In reality, no official statement has been released: neither confirmations nor denials.
How to recognize Mac Defender?
The Mac virus MacDefender manifests itself through the opening of windows and pop-ups, often accompanied by pornographic images. At this point, a new window will prompt the unsuspecting user to purchase MacDefender, advertised as an antivirus for Mac. Those who proceed with this operation will effectively fall into the malware’s trap and hand over their credit card details.
How to defend yourself from MacDefender?
If you happen to suddenly see pop-ups and pornographic images, the most sensible and secure action to take is to close the browsing page: by “resetting” the browser, there will be no danger whatsoever.
Pubblicato in Guides & Tutorials
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