Bare with me while I tell you what I experienced a short while ago. Perhaps it will save you some grief.
I was submitting a website to search engines via Free Web Submissions which is a free convenient service that I have used in the past. They have little or not control over what other sites do so I really don’t hold them responsible. Their TOS (Terms of Service” states, “Free Web Submission has no control over what happens to your information after it is submitted.”
What usually happens after submitting a website to the search engines is that some of the search engines will send you a confirmation email and provide a link that leads to a page with a Captcha so you can verify your submission.
Your Mac is Infected
I received such an email from “Scrub The Web” (scrubby@scrubtheweb.com). When I clicked on the link to verify our submission it launched Safari even though Chrome is set as my default web browser. It then began opening web pages and I got the dreaded “Your Mac Is Infected” message that offers to fix the problem. You can’t get out of the dialog box without clicking “OK” or force quitting your browser which I did.
Then I noticed that there was a covert installation of an application on my Macbook that I did not knowingly install named PremierOpinion. I don’t know what it does and I don’t want to know what any application does that installs itself uninvited, without my knowledge or permission. After all the time that I have been involved with technology, I still don’t get the mentality of an individual or entity that believes that they can win you over with brute force.
Apparently, this was a two prong attack since not only did I get the “Your Mac is Infected” message, but a trojan and Malwear as well. I installed Norton for Mac which located and quarantined four Trojans. Once deleted and restarting my Macbook, the problem ceased. I just thought I’d share this experience with our readers and offer a word of warning. Usually, these messages that come up when you’re browsing the web that claims “Your Mac is Infected” are bogus and lead to you spending money for useless service or software. Although less vulnerable, Mac OS X is not as immune to viruses, worms, Trojan Horses,Malware, etc. as it used to be, so best to error on the safe side and install virus protection software for peace of mind. There are a number of fairly comprehensive tools available to protect our systems. I was going to give Bitdefender a try since it has received good reviews but I had problems placing an order on their site so I opted for Norton For The Mac. I’ve used Norton on PC’s for years and can’t recall any problems while doing so. Stay safe, it’s a jungle out there.
