loushaff
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: I received a notification that I had a virus and that I now need to purchase Mac Defender.  Could this be true or an ad?

I received a message stating that a virus had infected my files and that I needed to purchase MacDefender to clean up my system.  Is this true and the best way to move forward?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Jun 12, 2011 10:59 AM

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loushaff

Q: I received a notification that I had a virus and that I now need to purchase Mac Defender.  Could this be true or an ad?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by iGemmo,

    iGemmo iGemmo Jun 12, 2011 11:01 AM in response to loushaff
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 12, 2011 11:01 AM in response to loushaff

    This is a virus, as soon as the window pops up close it straight away.

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Jun 12, 2011 11:02 AM in response to loushaff
    Level 9 (50,786 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 12, 2011 11:02 AM in response to loushaff

    It is not true, it is an attempt to get your credit card number, do not respond.

     

    Read the instructions at this link:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4650

     

     

     

    Note that this is not a virus,

  • by J D Knight III,

    J D Knight III J D Knight III Jun 12, 2011 11:06 AM in response to iGemmo
    Level 4 (3,415 points)
    Jun 12, 2011 11:06 AM in response to iGemmo

    iGemmo wrote:

     

    This is a virus, as soon as the window pops up close it straight away.

    It is NOT a virus. It is malware trying to trick you into installing something on your machine.

     

    Take the link that Cxound1 posted.

  • by MadMacs0,

    MadMacs0 MadMacs0 Jun 12, 2011 6:07 PM in response to Csound1
    Level 5 (4,791 points)
    Jun 12, 2011 6:07 PM in response to Csound1

    According to the OP's profile he's running MacOS X 10.2, so he must have a PPC iMac and in no danger of loosing his credit card or even putting up with the Trojan's nuisances as it won't run on his machine and probably wasn't even downloaded with the latest 2-stage installer.  The reference you gave applies only to MacOS X 10.4 and above, but no doubt will still apply to his situation.

  • by cornelius,

    cornelius cornelius Jun 14, 2011 9:35 AM in response to loushaff
    Level 6 (17,825 points)
    Jun 14, 2011 9:35 AM in response to loushaff

    Never respond to any popups telling you that you have a virus.

    • There is no known virus for Mac OS X in the wild.

    • Downloading and installing any applications from an unknown or unreliable source can be dangerous.

    • To install most trojans you have to download, authenticate and install. Don't do it.

     

    cornelius

  • by Spprrw,

    Spprrw Spprrw Jun 14, 2011 5:00 PM in response to cornelius
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 14, 2011 5:00 PM in response to cornelius

    MadMac is right.  It won't even install on a powerpc based mac.  I tried it on an old computer for experimental reasons and the installer will not even run.  It starts the process but stalls and does not let you proceed. 

     

    Still, I recommend that you don't play around with it.  If you didn't seek it out don't install it.  don't believe things that pop up in your face on the internet.  A virus scan cannot be done in your browser, plus the "finder window" that it displayed will not even have your folders in it.  All it shows is generic folders.