<p>new MAC malware programs masquerading as protection
The virus infects Mac computers through Web sites that tell users to install antivirus software called Mac Defender. This software does the opposite of what it proposes and infects computers with a virus.</p>
<p>Apple said the ultimate goal of the software was to gain access to credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes. Alternative versions of the virus are called MacProtector and MacSecurity</p>
<p>Apple Operating System Targeted by Malware - NYTimes.com</p>
<p>The name(s) alone sounds like a tip-off. From my knowledge, Macs don’t have much virus to them because the technology isn’t as widely used as PCs. Don’t take my word for that one, however.</p>
<p>People need to be smarter about what they click on the Internet. What seems like a harmless ad promoting a “free iPad or iPhone!”, just one click, and a person’s hard drive could be riddled with malware. </p>
<p>I look at lot online shops for clothing/electronics, and I look for a lot of red flags: misspelling, poor quality photographs of the merchandise, etc. Even still, I look up the business using the Better Business Bureau website: [United</a> States and Canada BBB Consumer and Business Reviews, Reports, Ratings, Complaints and Accredited Business Listings](<a href=“http://www.bbb.org%5DUnited”>http://www.bbb.org)</p>
<p>People should either use the official Apple website for product needs, or for authorized retailers. [Apple</a> - Where to Buy](<a href=“http://www.apple.com/buy]Apple”>Find Locations)</p>
<p>As technology becomes more advanced, more people let their guards down and that’s a huge NO-NO.</p>
<p>If this is anything like the equivalent for Windows then it can be pretty insidious. It’ll install just by you opening a web page and hijack just about everything on your computer. It’s a pain in the butt to try and get rid of, generally requiring restarting in safe mode, a registry edit, finding a way to stop the process, and running a good anti-malware program (I’ve always used Malbytes Antimalware since it’s free and trustworthy). This is something that most people unfamiliar with computers wouldn’t be able to fix on their own, and could really be a problem for people that aren’t used to digging around for fixes for stuff on their computer.</p>
<p>Just another good reason to use an alternative browser, such as Firefox along with addons like NoScript and AdBlock Plus.</p>
<p>Oh no! I got that page pop up on a website while doing a search for a term paper (i guess it was a sketchy website). I feel like my internet connection did get a bit slower. I didn’t press anything to install, though. Would my mac still be infected? Does it only infect your computer if you install it? Im really nervous now!!</p>
<p>RacinReaver, my D got that virus but good. It is called Windows Vista (or whatever platform you use) Security. We have both Virus software and a firewall running at all times. You are right that the only true fix IF you are lucky is a Registry edit. We were able to get rid of it twice with the free version of Malwarebytes but it came back with a vengeance the next time. Luckily she was home so that I could work on it. Also luckily she had all data backed up securely but I ultimately had to reformat the hard drive and do a reload of all programs. after doing that and going to bed at 430 am thinking all was well I was awoken to an very load Ah S***t from my D when we she turned it on. The Blue screen of death had hit. Rebooted and it worked so I tried again and the blue screen came back. We ended up buying her a new laptop at the last minute, reload all her programs only because she had to get back to school, needed a computer immediately and I had to go to work so I could not work on hers anymore. With that done I have now taken the past 4 weeks to play it. I took her hard drive out and used it as a slave on mine and found that even though I did full format there were still some traces of the virus, I did a complete scan with CCleaner and erased it to the military level of 25 passes, (took over six hours) but now she has a fully functional back up lap top.</p>
<p>^ That was probably infuriating! I’m a little angry just hearing about it. What happens if no one in the house is good with computers?</p>
<p>I use these programs to maintain my files ( there is a bit of overlap)
[Snow</a> Leopard Cache Cleaner - Maintenance & Antivirus Utility for Mac OS X](<a href=“http://www.northernsoftworks.com/snowleopardcachecleaner.html]Snow”>Welcome to Northern Softworks)</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.titanium.free.fr/index.php]Onyx[/url”>http://www.titanium.free.fr/index.php]Onyx[/url</a>]</p>
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<p>Then you’re hosed.</p>
<p>Also, percussiondad, that’s a heck of a story. A friend wound up with the virus a few weeks ago, and after trying the usual stuff I do to fix it the computer would blue screen no matter what I did to try and fix it (repair installations over the computer itself wouldn’t even fix it). I wound up hooking the drive up as an external on an old laptop I don’t care about and transferred as much data as I could find that was worthwhile, but I’ll be sure to let them know to watch out for problems even after I reformatted and reinstalled Windows on the drive.</p>
<p>WandMParent Technically RacinReaver is right but the best thing you can do is right now before anything else get yourself a USB hard drive (about the 1 1/2 the size of what is in your computer) have it partitioned and do a complete mirrored copy of your main drive on one partition and do weekly or monthly incremental back ups to the other partition. My D and I use buddybackup as her data backs up to my computer and mine to hers. Then I would (and did) purchase Malwarebytes pro install it and let it run continuously, I was shocked with how many intrusions it stops even though I am also running a virus/Spam checker and firewall. You are not completely hosed if you plan in advance, luckily I knew enough to get out of this mess and the thing is that most people and especially students forget is that it isn’t IF you get a virus or hard drive problem it is WHEN you have the problem. Inevitably they will get it at some point. The only good thing to come out of this is that my daughter has a perfectly good spare laptop now and we live 2 hours away so I could get it to her quickly.</p>