Filed under: Security
'MacGuard' double-plus ungood, avoid
The fine folks at Intego sent out a warning this morning about MacGuard, a bogus piece of software that claims to clean up your system and remove adware, spyware, and trojans. It doesn't.
According to the warning, MacGuard is simply a clone of a Windows app called WiniGuard. The company releasing the software, Innovagest 2000 SL, may be using the credit card numbers they harvest during the purchase process for "nefarious purposes."
WiniGuard "hijacks the user's desktop and typically displays exaggerated or false claims of spyware found to frighten the user into paying for the program," according to Sunbelt Malware Research Labs.
While our fine readers wouldn't get suckered into such a scheme, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles might not be so educated. If you know someone with a Mac who might fall for this, do them a favor and forward them this warning.
The MacGuard website is at macguard.net.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
KomputarGuy said 4:17PM on 10-17-2008
Scumbags...
Reply
Dave Barnes said 4:48PM on 10-17-2008
One tip off is that there is no "real" contact info on their website. No postal, physical, email, phone. Lack of such data does not engender trust.
Reply
Mo said 8:38PM on 10-17-2008
WHOIS information for: macguard.net:
[whois.enom.com]
=-=-=-=
Visit AboutUs.org for more information about macguard.net
AboutUs: macguard.net
Registration Service Provided By: NameCheap.com
Contact: support@NameCheap.com
Visit: http://www.namecheap.com/
Domain name: macguard.net
Registrant Contact:
Paul Aspen
Paul Aspen
10711 WEYMOUTH AVE
Dublin, Dublin 43017
IE
Administrative Contact:
Paul Aspen
Paul Aspen (paul.aspen111@gmail.com)
+373.545462895
Fax: +1.5555555555
10711 WEYMOUTH AVE
Dublin, Dublin 43017
IE
Technical Contact:
Paul Aspen
Paul Aspen (paul.aspen111@gmail.com)
+373.545462895
Fax: +1.5555555555
10711 WEYMOUTH AVE
Dublin, Dublin 43017
IE
Status: Locked
Name Servers:
ns1.macguard.net
ns2.macguard.net
Creation date: 17 Sep 2008 14:44:34
Expiration date: 17 Sep 2009 14:44:34
Corey said 4:56PM on 10-17-2008
The people that make this kind of stuff should be shot.
Reply
Øivind said 5:11PM on 10-17-2008
So it finally came to the mac ...
Agree with above poster.
Reply
Steve said 3:44PM on 10-19-2008
".......parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles might not be so educated". Excuse me, what makes you think you are better "educated" then they are? Do you really think that computers were invented during your generation? Us old folks have a saying, "young and dumb", me thinks it applies here. Have to go, my great grandson needs help, he can't find the firewire slot on his new Macbook,
Reply
brian said 6:03PM on 10-17-2008
key word is "might"
thanks for calling young people dumb though
someone needs to change your diaper
Buckingham said 6:47PM on 10-17-2008
It means educated in the matters of knowing which software is legit or not. Come on, you know what the author meant. No need to bend stuff.
Pepe said 7:22PM on 10-17-2008
Nice ;-)
Robert Palmer said 7:34PM on 10-17-2008
Friend, I'm just trying to help people out. If it offends you that I'm trying to encourage young people to help those around them, then there's nothing left for me to say.
puhsitch said 7:43PM on 10-17-2008
I'd still bet dollars to donuts that there is a significant difference in the mean technological naïveté in the older vs. younger generations.
Level 5 said 9:58PM on 10-17-2008
I think that mainly has to do with alot of people think that Macs are impervious to viruses and malware. Even Apple itself suggests that you do NOT need any protection against malware, viruses and spyware. Alot of the *nix fans share this sentiment as well, which is naive and frankly, a little dumb IFAIC.
Get used to it guys. The Mac is gaining market share at a fairly rapid pace, and as it does, it becomes more and more of a target for software like this.
So yay, joy.. I guess not only can Mac users look forward to more Windows-esque sneaky software, but they can also look forward to equally worthless scanning software that doesn't do its job. Glee.
mentalsticks said 5:10PM on 10-18-2008
@Robert palmer: sure, you're just telling then to help. . And maybe you should ask your Asian readers to help others with math.
Robert Palmer said 5:16PM on 10-18-2008
@mentalsticks: I strongly disagree with your insulting characterization.
mentalsticks said 7:27AM on 10-22-2008
@Robert Palmer:
Friend, I'm just trying to help people out. If it offends you that I'm trying to encourage Asian people to help those around them, then there's nothing left for me to say.
Robert Palmer said 9:54AM on 10-22-2008
@mentalsticks: OOH. GOOD COMEBACK.
mentalsticks said 6:24AM on 10-23-2008
@Robert: you just don't get it, do you?
You seem to be only susceptible to the stereotypes that are "hot" at the moment -- like the one I used about Asians. That one gets you angry. The one that you use -- "young people are better at computers than old people" is exactly the same kind of stereotype, but as it is not in any spotlights at this point in time, your reaction is: "I am only trying to help. I don't want to do any harm, and so it is harmless." I do not doubt your good intentions, but good intentions don't make something right by themselves.
Robert Palmer said 9:51AM on 10-23-2008
@mentalsticks: That is the most articulate rationalization of a straw man argument I think I've ever seen. Well done.
mentalsticks said 10:44AM on 10-23-2008
Robert: Three people in this thread have accused you of ageism -- and this is how you respond? "I am telling people to help others, so shut up"?
Robert Palmer said 11:15AM on 10-23-2008
@mentalsticks: Actually, yes, for lack of something more refined. Incidentally, if you want something more refined, this is how I responded on my own blog five days ago, when this horse you're beating wasn't dead: http://bit.ly/3oYFxY
Yes, three people accused me of ageism. 77 people forwarded the story. I interpret that as success, not failure. Do I feel guilty about it? No. Am I racist? No. Am I ageist? No. Are all the people that forwarded the story ageist? No.