Fake Security Software Hits Macs – MAC Defender / MAC Security

MAC users need to beware of fake security software that is similar to the fake Anti-Virus software that can easily find it’s way onto a PC.

If you unwittingly download the program (MAC Defender / MAC Security), which appears very high up in search listings, you may find your MAC screens littered with pornographic images and no doubt the usual demands for money to download some other software to get rid of the ‘problem’.

MAC’s have long been considered much safer than Windows PC’s when it comes to security because the target size was so small (about 5% of the Market-place), and Virus-writers thus focussed on the bigger target as the impact would be much greater, but now it seems that the tables have been turned and MAC users need to be just as careful as PC users.

Upgrade Your New PDF Acrobat Reader Hoax – Part III

A new email is doing the rounds with the following Subject Line:

Action Required : Upgrade Your New PDF Acrobat Reader

The Body of the emails is as follows:

ADOBE PDF READER SOFTWARE UPGRADE NOTIFICATION
This is to remind that a new version of Adobe Acrobat Reader with enhanced features for viewing, creating, editing, printing and internet-sharing PDF documents has been released.

To upgrade your application:
+ Go to http://www.adobe-acrobat-software.com
+ Get your options, download and upgrade.
Thanks and best regards,
John William
Adobe Acrobat Reader Support
Copy rights Adobe 2010 © All rights reserved
1022 Marrinbird Rd | Merryton | CA | 91523 | USA

As usual, this is a hoax and the download link takes you to the same convincing website that has previously been linked where there are Testimonials saying how wonderful the product is etc.

DO NOT BE FOOLED – This is not a valid Adobe Product. Please read their response to this and the other very similar hoaxes:
http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2010/09/alert-adobe-reader-upgrade-email-spamphishing-scam.html

The website it takes you to looks like this:

The Adobe Acrobat Reader Hoax Website looks very convincing but do not be fooled.

Active Your New Adobe Acrobat Reader (Hoax) Part II

Further to my earlier post about the “Active Your New Adobe PDF Reader” entry, the spam mail is also doing the rounds using the above Subject line.

The Body of the message is as follows:

ADOBE PDF READER SOFTWARE UPGRADE NOTIFICATION

This is to remind that a new version of Adobe Acrobat Reader with enhanced features for viewing, creating, editing, printing and internet-sharing PDF documents has been released.
To upgrade your application:

+ Go to http://www.2010-adobe-download.com
+ Get your options, download and upgrade.

DOWNLOAD ADOBE ACROBAT READER

Thanks and best regards,

John Brian
Adobe Acrobat Reader Support

Copy rights Adobe 2010 © All rights reserved
102 Marrinbird Rd | Merryton | CA | 96521 | USA

Want to unsubscribe or change your details?

If you click on the link, it takes you to a fairly convincing site with testimonials about how great the software actually is, further convincing the unsuspecting email recipient to download the free software.

The site looks like this:

Hoax Adobe Reader Website

Adobe’s response to this hoax can be read here:
http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2010/09/alert-adobe-reader-upgrade-email-spamphishing-scam.html

Activate Your New Adobe PDF Reader (Hoax)

There are emails doing the rounds at the moment asking you to Upgrade Adobe PDF Reader which are completely bogus and should be ignored / deleted immediately as no doubt there is an unwanted element to clicking on the link that you are presented with.

Adobe are not in the habit of emailing customers advising them of newer version of their software, just as Microsoft and most of the other big companies don’t. Beware such messages claiming to come from well-known companies and always look upon such emails as suspicious.

If you have Anti-Spam software that can be customised to reject messages based on Subject or Content, you would be highly advised to add a new rule to block this type of message from coming through.

The Subject of the Email is: Activate Your New Adobe PDF Reader

The body of the email is:

ADOBE PDF READER SOFTWARE UPGRADE NOTIFICATION

This is to remind that a new version of Adobe Acrobat Reader with enhanced features for viewing, creating, editing, printing and internet-sharing PDF documents has been released.

To upgrade your application:

+ Go to http://www.adobe–upgrade.com

+ Get your options, download and upgrade.

DOWNLOAD ADOBE ACROBAT READER

Thanks and best regards,

John Brian

Adobe Acrobat Reader Support

Copy rights Adobe 2010 © All rights reserved

1005 Marrinbird Rd | Merryton | CA | 96523 | USA

Website: http://www.adobe–upgrade.com

If you no longer wish to receive similar emails please click here.

Here is Adobe’s response on their blog: http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2010/09/alert-adobe-reader-upgrade-email-spamphishing-scam.html

Beware bogus telephone support calls claiming to come from Microsoft

A customer of mine just rang me to advise me that a member of their staff at a remote branch office had received a call claiming to come from Microsoft saying that their machine had been sending out spam or similar and that they could connect remotely and deal with the problem.

They declined saying that they could not do it right now, but could tomorrow and the call ended.

Microsoft are not in the business of phoning their customers to resolve their problems over the phone, so the calls were clearly bogus.

The calls were apparently very convincing and I am sure that there will be lots of people that will fall for the scam and no doubt end up with bigger problems on their hands.

If you receive such a call, please decline any offers of remote support and hang up.