Hi, I think I may have the FEDPOL BundesKriminalPolizei virus on my mac book air. I managed to restart the computer and everything seems to be fine but what program can I use to check that this malware is no longer active on my mac?
I have searched on google for solutions but none of them are compatible with
Thank you!
MacBook Air, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)
I'm guessing you may be seeing something like this:
FBI ransomware “virus” rampant
There are many different variants of this scam, customized for the local authorities in different regions.
There is no actual malware involved, it's just a scam. You're not infected with anything. See my Mac Malware Guide for more information on real Mac malware.
Thank you Thomas. Yes, that is exactly what happened, I ended up on a page where I was told I had to pay to fix the virus. I couldnt manage to get out of the page or browse elsewhere so I forced the computer to shut down.
When i restarted the computer everything seemed ok.
In any case, can you recommend any good program to scan a mac and make sure this doesnt happen in the future?
Is it safer to use safari than firefox?
thanks
It's not a virus. It's a malicious web page created by imbeciles who are trying to find and rip off the few people on earth even more stupid than themselves — a difficult task.
Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Security
Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Privacy ▹ Remove All Website Data
to get rid of any cookies or other data left by the server. Open your Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.
natuspatus wrote:
In any case, can you recommend any good program to scan a mac and make sure this doesnt happen in the future?
Nothing can prevent this from occurring again. It is a web page containing simple code that prevents it from being dismissed. The only way to circumvent it is to not visit the web page that caused it to load.
Here is a screenshot.
The threat is believing the scam is legitimate and responding to it by paying money, which wouldn't even have prevented it from appearing again. No one with an ounce of intelligence is going to believe such a pathetic attempt is real. Similar threats can be developed by any one at any time, including children of any age living in Mommy's basement. The only defense against it is your own common sense. If you were to search for a magical cure-all product to scan your Mac and eradicate the threat you will find many that claim the ability to do so. None of them will help, and are only likely to cause problems.
Though this scam has allegedly been associated with viruses that attack Windows systems, your Mac cannot be affected by them. If it should occur again, force-quit Safari or whatever browser you were using and forget about it.
Moneypak or Ukash or whatever payment system the site proposed as restitution for your alleged criminal activity is legitimate: https://www.moneypak.com/ProtectYourMoney.aspx#
FBI statement: http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/august/new-internet-scam
Read about the threat and its variants here:
How to get rid of FEDPOL BundesKriminalPolizei virus on my mac?
