I was one of the smug ones because I have never had a virus or malware problem on my iMac. Well, time to get humble I guess. Last week there was big news about a malware scare called Mac Defender and I predict more are coming.
The application has a very polished look, and can easily deceive veteran Mac users as well. On the first launch, the application will falsely detect some of the files on your Mac computer as infected by virus. The application will also open porn websites on your Mac, making users think that their computer is infected by viruses. The application will ask users to purchase the license of their application so as to remove advanced viruses. The 1 year license of the app costs a whopping $59.95, while the 2 year and the lifetime license costs $69.95 and $79.95, respectively. Once a user clicks on the Register button, he is taken to an unsecured website where he is asked to enter his credit card details.
Once the user enters his credit card details, he will be basically charged for software which actually infected his Mac. Other genuine anti-virus and anti-malware software for the Mac detect the Mac Defender app as a virus. However, looking at how rare viruses are for Mac, I doubt many Mac users would be using anti-virus software.
If you think you’ve gotten this trojan on a Mac, here’s how you can get rid of it.
1. It runs in the background, so the first thing you need to do is shut it off. From the desktop, click on "Go," then "Utilities." Click on the "Activity Monitor" icon, which lists all active programs running on your Mac. Then click on "MacDefender" in the list and then the "Quit Process" button to quit the program.
2. Then go to the desktop, click on "Go" in the top menu, then "Applications." Look for the "Mac Defender" icon/program and drag it to the trash. Good riddance!
3. Finally, go to the Apple menu, click on "System Preferences," then the "Accounts" icon. In the list of programs to the right, highlight "MacDefender" then click the minus button below to delete it. You’re done!
Here's a good article on the program if you want to know more.
