Immune (Lisacintosh) Mac OS
A phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them that their computer is infected with a virus. The user is then offered Mac Defender 'anti-virus' software to solve the issue.
This “anti-virus” software is malware (i.e. malicious software). Its ultimate goal is to get the user's credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes.
The most common names for this malware are MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity.
Apple released a free software update (Security Update 2011-003) that will automatically find and remove Mac Defender malware and its known variants.
The Resolution section below also provides step-by-step instructions on how to avoid or manually remove this malware.
Mac users are often told they don’t need antivirus apps because MacOS is secure. But is that true? We asked security experts for their thoughts. It’s not true that Mac systems are immune to threats. The amount of malware on Macs is outpacing PCs for the first time ever, and your complacency could be your worst enemy. It works like this: since Windows has an outsized lead when it comes to the market share of operating systems (approximately 77% compared to macOS’s 17%), attackers. Sep 26, 2019 How macOS Protects Your Computer Your Mac has many built-in security features to keep it safe. The bedrock of macOS (formerly Mac OS X) is a rock-solid Unix foundation. This is the same operating system on which BSD and Linux were built, and it’s earned its reputation for reliability and security thanks to a robust permissions system. Attacks on Apple's OS X operating system, thought by many who use the Mac to be virtually immune from hackers, are on the rise, according to a report from Symantec, an anti-virus software vendor.
Resolution
How to avoid installing this malware
If any notifications about viruses or security software appear, quit Safari or any other browser that you are using. If a normal attempt at quitting the browser doesn’t work, then Force Quit the browser.
In some cases, your browser may automatically download and launch the installer for this malicious software. If this happens, cancel the installation process; do not enter your administrator password. Delete the installer immediately using the steps below.
- Go into the Downloads folder, or your preferred download location.
- Drag the installer to the Trash.
- Empty the Trash.
How to remove this malware
If the malware has been installed, we recommend the following actions:
- Do not provide your credit card information under any circumstances.
- Use the Removal Steps below.
Removal steps
- Move or close the Scan Window.
- Go to the Utilities folder in the Applications folder and launch Activity Monitor.
- Choose All Processes from the pop up menu in the upper right corner of the window.
- Under the Process Name column, look for the name of the app and click to select it; common app names include: MacDefender, MacSecurity or MacProtector.
- Click the Quit Process button in the upper left corner of the window and select Quit.
- Quit Activity Monitor application.
- Open the Applications folder.
- Locate the app ex. MacDefender, MacSecurity, MacProtector or other name.
- Drag to Trash, and empty Trash.
Malware also installs a login item in your account in System Preferences. Removal of the login item is not necessary, but you can remove it by following the steps below.
- Open System Preferences, select Accounts, then Login Items
- Select the name of the app you removed in the steps above ex. MacDefender, MacSecurity, MacProtector
- Click the minus button
Use the steps in the “How to avoid installing this malware” section above to remove the installer from the download location.
Note: Apple provides security updates for the Mac exclusively through Software Update and the Apple Support Downloads site. User should exercise caution any time they are asked to enter sensitive personal information online.
There has been a long-standing rumour that Macs are immune to viruses and now, someone has proven Macs can be infected. The word is out in CNET’s article: “Apple users beware: First live ransomware targeting Macs found ‘in the wild”. What does this mean for Apple users? Has something changed within the Mac OS X and do they need to do anything different?
The rumours
To answer these questions, let’s start by exploring the rumour that Macs are immune. This rumour has been around for a long time. I believe it was five years ago when my father told me that a salesperson at a large retailer told him this ‘fact’. At that time, I knew it wasn’t exactly true and I did a little digging as into why and now I am re-exploring the same issue. Five years ago, How-To Geek published an article on why Macs may not be immune to viruses. In this article they site three possible reasons why the Mac OS X is less-prone to viruses:
Market share – In 2011, Windows users greatly outnumbered Mac users as illustrated in this very interesting chart from How-to Geek.
Time and effort – Being there were more PCs on the market in 2011, more was known about them and less research was needed by an attacker. “Security by minority” according to How-To Geek.
Short list of viruses – in this article, they state in 2008, there were less than 200 pieces of malware targeting Apple. I will note that their source for this information is no longer available, so take this number with a grain of salt.