A new hacking campaign is currently masquerading as one of the most popular antivirus programs in the world. A fake McAfee pop-up appears on your browser and makes you believe that your PC is infected and that your subscription will expire soon… even if you don’t have any subscription.
It’s hard to deny a certain sense of irony in pirates. What could be more logical than using an antivirus as cover for their cyberattacks? Even if it means choosing, you might as well choose among the most popular, and thus make many Internet users believe that their PC has been infected by dangerous viruses. Here’s more or less how the latest hacking campaign spotted by Fox News works.
This one is particularly insidious. When you are quietly browsing the web, a pop-up suddenly appears on your screen. This looks like a McAfee alert which, in fact, warns you that your PC has been infected by dangerous viruses. Worse still, it looks like your subscription is about to expire. You will therefore need to renew it urgently to avoid serious damage to your computer.
On the same subject — John McAfee, the antivirus creator accused of tax evasion, died in prison
Watch out for this fake McAfee pop-up
At least that’s what the scam claims. In fact, this one appears even if you’ve never had a McAfee subscription in your life. But this scam is more dangerous than you might think. In fact, the pop-up does not trigger when you visit a particular site, as is often the case with these kinds of schemes. On the contrary, hackers manage to inject a malicious file directly into the browser so that the scam is displayed at any time.
If the victim has McAfee installed on their machine, it will be difficult not to be fooled, as the design and text are so convincing. The latter then finds herself giving her banking details to a hacker without realizing it. If, however, you have the slightest doubt, do not hesitate to immediately close your browser, then clear the cache and check your extensions.
Source: Fox News