![]() ![]() If Safari, Mail, or another Web browser or e-mail client is running, try quitting it. If a scanner suddenly appears in the foreground and starts showing activity, look in the top left of your screen next to the Apple menu to see what program is running in the foreground. ![]() Know what software you have installed on your system, and always download it from a reputable location only (such as the Mac App Store, a company Web page, or CNET's ). And if you have installed one, such as VirusBarrier X6, Norton, Kaspersky, or Sophos, you should recognize it as the package you have installed. Therefore, if you have not installed a full malware scanner there is no reason for one to run on your system. Apple's XProtect only shows this window and offers options to Open, Cancel, or Eject/Trash the file. The only option Apple provides is a feature called XProtect, which is a rudimentary malware scanner that will issue a warning when you try to open a file it suspects. While there are a number of security-based components to OS X, so far Apple has not developed and installed a full malware scanner with a user interface. If you ever see a malware scanner suddenly pop up on your screen, here are some things to consider before giving it any credibility: This may be a concern to people, but rest assured these are just scams to try to coerce you into installing malware and are nothing new. It will start listing files that are not on your system as the fake scan completes itself, and will display some statistics about the number of threats found. The malware is made available for download through a Web page that is entitled "Apple security center" and appears to be running a virus scan on the system. In a growing thread on the Apple Support Communities forum, commenters are describing the new attack attempt, in which an individual or small group (judging by IP addresses) is releasing Mac-focused malware to OS X users via e-mail and Web links. The 'Apple Security Center' malware appears to be a legitimate scanner, but runs in a Web browser (click for larger view). Recently some rather sophisticated Trojan horse scam software called MacDefender was discovered for OS X, and a similar attempt has surfaced with a Web-based malware-detection facade that tries to get you to download and install malware on your system. If you ever see a message or window in Safari or your e-mail client about your system's security being compromised, ignore it! Malware developers and scammers are increasingly focusing on OS X and working to trick Mac users with highly developed Trojan horse attempts, using both software and ominous-looking messages generated in Web browsers and e-mail clients. ![]()
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December 2022
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