It seems like Apple has seen better days. One of the first things an Apple Specialist will tell you when you’re looking into purchasing a Macbook is that you won’t have to deal with any type of virus or malware. And the truth is that Apple computers had been immune to those for quite a long time… until now when they are confessing that the malware has gotten worse.
How is malware attacking Mac users? Well, it seems to be that the trap – referred to as Mac Defender – is when making use of Google images. When clicking on a bad picture it will take the user to a window that reads like this: “To help protect your computer Apple Web Security have detected Trojans and ready to remove them. Cancel – Remove all”. As you can see the rather bizarre wording of the “alert” can make any English speaker suspicious but the appearance of the message might trick anybody. Users that have just started to use Mac might be fooled easier since they are not aware and don’t know what to expect as an alert.
When this message pops up, it’s trying to get the user to install a certain program that will “remove all Trojans”. The user is probably thinking that the computer is really infected so he or she will most likely install it.
Users that have vast experience with Mac and are more sophisticated will be able to detect this fake alert.
It seems that users that run Google Chrome might be even more at risk because this browser many times downloads files automatically without asking the user if they want to download it or save it.
Proof that the malware has been spreading is the fact the customer representatives at the Apple Support centers have been extremely busy taking the extra loads of calls. Just to give you an idea, an Apple rep usually has about 10 minutes, give or take, of time in between calls. With the recent outbreak of malware, they really don’t have any time at all.
The scary thing is that Apple is not allowing its customer reps remove the malware that has been installed in the computers of those who have fallen for the trap. According to Apple Care, the Mac Defender Malware is easy to get rid of, but the instructions right now is not to do it because this will lead the customer to believe that they can remove any type of malware that appears in the future.
It’s sad to think that many of the Mac users that have fallen in this trap have already given out their credit card information to the hackers. This happened because the so called Mac Defender asks the user to purchase the antivirus and prompts them to input their credit card information. One user tried five different cards because the Mac Defender kept on denying them. This means the hackers have been successful at obtaining this particular customer’s credit cards numbers.
Hopefully Mac users will now comprehend that they do need antivirus in their computers in order to fight the hackers off. To get rid of this Malware you can find out instructions on the Apple Support Forum.
