Macs are less vulnerable, by nature, to viruses and malware, but they are not impervious. There is a real threat right now, that we feel compelled to share with you, so you can be on guard and spread the news to other Mac users. It takes over the system, but it starts with a phishing email, hoping you will let it in.
Now, most of us know by now about phishing and how to check for fake emails. Many companies have a dedicated link on their website to report suspicious emails, in fact. Bad guys are bad, though, and they spend their time making it harder and harder to tell the true from the false (seriously, can we give them some better project to spend their time on?).
Please read and share this blog and the links below, which have some very helpful tips about how to educate yourself and hopefully avoid falling victim to these malicious attacks.
From the good folks at 9to5 Mac:
Nasty Mac malware bypasses Gatekeeper, undetectable by most antivirus apps
PSA: Now is a good time to educate your less-techy friends about ‘Apple’ phishing emails
A great article to not only remove, but to protect against in the first place, from MacWorld:
The best free methods for removing Mac malware, viruses and ransomware
And another, which goes into a bit more detail about this new threat, from Cult of Mac:
Gatekeeper won’t stop this ‘major scale’ Mac malware
And finally, a good overview of Mac general security tips from noodlemac:
Of course, if you don’t have time or don’t feel comfortable removing malicious programs yourself, we’re here to help!
PS – If you’ve been a subscriber for any length of time, you know we don’t usually post two blogs in one day. We really feel like this is important and didn’t want to wait to pass it along. Please share as you see fit and we’ll be back on our regular schedule next week!
