5/2/2023 0 Comments Scamzapper for mac chrome![]() Either use the second approach, or switch to any other app. Unfortunately, I’ve found that scareware JavaScript often prevents the use of Command-Option-Escape, and the Apple menu sometimes isn’t accessible from within your trapped browser. Control-Option-click on the Web browser’s icon in the Dock, and choose Force Quit.Choose Force Quit from the Apple menu or press its shortcut, Command-Option-Escape.The easiest thing to do is to force-quit your Web browser. Luckily, it’s simple to escape from this scareware JavaScript trap. Hence the “scareware” and “ransomware” names - I’ll stick to calling it all scareware from now on. It’s just a phishing scam in that the bad guys are trying to use social engineering (scaring you) to get you to do something foolish (call the phone number in order to take advantage of you, or get you to send ![]() That JavaScript prevents you from quitting the browser or using the Back button, and displays the page or dialog you see - it’s not all that different from a pop-up advertisement, and by itself doesn’t do anything actually harmful. If these dire-sounding warnings aren’t the work of malware, what are they? What’s actually happening is that a Web site - possibly an entirely innocent Web site that has been hacked, or that is displaying ads from a compromised ad network - has been infected with a bit of JavaScript. ![]() Remote control access to your Mac, they will do something nasty like infect it with spyware and/or steal valuable data. You can deal with this situation easily on your own, and it’s likely that if you give the bad guys You should never call the given phone number and you should especially never ever give the people at the given phone number remote control access to your Mac. (Although there are several pieces of malware for Windows - CryptoLocker and CryptoWall, notably - that actually do encrypt user data and decrypt it only after the user has paid a ransom in Bitcoin, none of these target Macs.)įirst off, it’s important to know that if you encounter this scary situation, your Mac hasn’t really been infected with a virus or any other sort of malware and that your data hasn’t been harmed. It’s likely that during this connection they will install spyware on your computer.Īlternatively, the pop-up may give instructions on how to send ransom money to the people who are responsible for causing your browser to freeze, along with a promise that they will unfreeze your browser and/or decrypt your data once they receive the ransom. Many of these pop-ups give a phone number to call, often claiming it’s for “tech support” or “the FBI.” If you call the phone number, the people you talk to will ask you to allow them to connect to your computer via remote control software. Next, a page or pop-up appears telling you any of a number of stories (often tailored to your location), perhaps that your Mac has a problem or has illegal material on it, or that your data has been encrypted by some malevolent entity. You’ll find that you can’t quit, nor can you navigate away from the page by clicking the Back button. What happens is that you visit a Web site and seemingly have your browser maliciously frozen. Some call it “scareware” or “ransomware.” It does it by scaring the willies out of you, and is becoming disturbingly common. Instead, it’s more like a phishing scam, using social engineering to get you to do something that the bad guys want you to do. It isn’t a virus, a Trojan Horse, or any other sort of actual malware. While the legions of Mac viruses still haven’t appeared, there is a nasty out there that takes advantage of this paranoia. Combined with the fact that there are a seemingly infinite number of viruses for Windows, it’s easy to see why Mac users would be somewhat paranoid about the possibility of malware. The mainstream technology press has claimed that there will be lots of viruses for the Macintosh “real soon now,” ever since OS X was released over a decade ago. Scary Internet Scam Becoming Disturbingly Common #1612: OS suggestions, new accessibility features, higher cellular prices, Chrome OS Flex for old Macs, Memorial Day hiatus.#1613: M2 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, long-awaited features coming to OS, watchOS 9, TidBITS website changes, tvOS and HomePod update.#1614: 2022 OS system requirements, WWDC 2022 head-scratcher features, travel tech notes from Canada.#1615: Why Stage Manager needs an M1 iPad, Limit IP Address Tracking problems, Citibank cryptocurrency confusion.#1616: Explaining passkeys, Apple challenges for senior citizens, macOS 11.6.7 Big Sur fixes email attachment bug.
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