Internet Security Damaged Scam (Mac)

What is Internet Security Damaged?

"Internet Security Damaged" is a fake error message displayed by a rogue website that is often visited by users inadvertently - they are redirected by various potentially unwanted programs (PUPs).

These applications infiltrate systems during installation of other software (the "bundling" method). As well as causing unwanted redirects, PUPs deliver intrusive online advertisements and continually monitor users' Internet browsing activity.

Note that "Internet Security Damaged" targets Mac OS user only. This error message states that a suspicious connection has been detected and, for this reason, the Internet connection has been blocked. In addition, personal information (logins and passwords, banking details, etc.) may be leaked.

Therefore, the problem must be resolved immediately. To do so, victims are encouraged to contact 'certified technicians' via a toll-free telephone number ("+1-800-576-7509") provided. In fact, "Internet Security Damaged" is fake. Cyber criminals attempt to scare victims and trick them into calling and paying for services that are not required.

This pop-up is not genuine and should not be trusted. You can remove "Internet Security Damaged" simply by closing the web browser. Furthermore, PUPs employ a "virtual layer" to generate pop-up, coupon, banner, and other similar ads. The virtual layer is a tool that enables placement of third party graphical content on any site.

Therefore, displayed ads often conceal underlying website content. This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. In addition, these ads might redirect to malicious websites - even accidental clicks can result in high-risk adware or malware infections.

Furthermore, potentially unwanted programs continually record information relating to Internet browsing activity. The collected data (IP addresses, URLs visited, pages viewed, etc.) might contain personal details that PUP developers share with third parties.

These people (often cyber criminals) generate revenue by misusing personal information. Thus, information tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. We strongly recommend that you uninstall all potentially unwanted programs immediately.

"Internet Security Damaged" shares many similarities with dozens of other fake error messages such as Apple Security Damaged, Immediately Call Apple Support, Your Device Has Been Blocked, and many others. All claim that the computer is infected or damaged in other similar ways, however, all these statements are false.

As mentioned above, fake errors are designed to scare victims and trick them into paying for services that are not required. Potentially unwanted programs are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.

By offering various 'useful features', they attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, these applications merely cause unwanted redirects, deliver intrusive advertisements, and gather various user/system information. PUPs are useless for regular users.

How did Internet Security Damaged install on my computer?

As mentioned above, PUPs are distributed using the "bundling" method - stealth installation of third party applications with regular software. These programs are hidden within the "Custom/Advanced" settings of the download or installation processes. Rushing these procedures and skipping steps exposes the system to risk of various infections and compromises users' privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent system infiltration by PUPs, be very cautious when downloading and installing software. Select the "Custom/Advanced" settings and closely analyze each step. Furthermore, decline offers to download/install additional applications and cancel those already included. The key to computer safety is caution.

"Internet Security Damaged" pop-up (GIF):

Text presented within "Internet Security Damaged" pop-up:

Warning: Internet Security Damaged !!!
A Suspicious Connection Was Trying to Access Your Logins, Banking Details & Tracking Your Internet Activity.
Your TCP Connection Was Blocked by Your Firewall. Your Accounts May be Suspended Until You Take an Action.
Your Personal Information May Have Leaked. IMMEDIATE RESPONSE REQUIRED
Your Hard Disk May Have Trojan Virus! Please Do Not Try to Fix Manually, It May Crash Your Data.
Consequently, we are performing additional security checks to verify system security.
Please Visit Your Nearest MAC Service Center OR Call Help Desk
---------------------------------------------------------
Customer Service: +1-800-576-7509 (TOLL-FREE)
---------------------------------------------------------
********** IMMEDIATE RESPONSE REQUIRED **********
Please contact network administration to rectify the issue.
Please do not open internet browser for your security issue to avoid data corruption on your registery of your operating system. Please contact network administration department at +1-800-576-7509 (TOLL-FREE)
Virus Info:
A Trojan horse, or Trojan, in computing is a non-self-replicating type of malware program containing malicious code that, when executed, carries out actions determined by the nature of the Trojan, typically causing loss or theft of data, and possible system harm. The term is derived from the story of the wooden horse used to trick defenders of Troy into taking concealed warriors into their city in ancient Greece, because computer Trojans often employ a form of social engineering, presenting themselves as routine, useful, or interesting in order to persuade victims to install them on their computers.
A Trojan often acts as a backdoor, contacting a controller which can then have unauthorized access to the affected computer. The Trojan and backdoors are not themselves easily detectable, but if they carry out significant computing or communications activity may cause the computer to run noticeably slowly. Malicious programs are classified as Trojans if they do not attempt to inject themselves into other files (computer virus) or otherwise propagate themselves (worm).
A computer may host a Trojan via a malicious program a user is duped into executing files or browsing internet.
Please contact network administration department at +1-800-576-7509 (TOLL-FREE)

Text presented within another error message displayed by the same malicious website:

WARNING! Your MAC has been blocked due to suspicious activity! Please call Support Now!. Call Toll-Free: +1-800-576-7509 To find right solution.

Instant automatic Mac malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is Internet Security Damaged?
• STEP 1. Remove adware related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove malicious extensions from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove deceptive plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

Adware removal:

Remove Internet Security Damaged-related potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select “Applications”. In the applications folder, look for “MPlayerX”,“NicePlayer”, or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Remove adware-related files and folders

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/

In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/

In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:

In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/

In the "LaunchDaemons" folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example "com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist", "com.myppes.net-preferences.plist", "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist", "com.avickUpd.plist", etc., and move them to the Trash.

Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps correctly, your Mac should be clean of infections. To ensure your system is not infected, run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file, double click combocleaner.dmg installer. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates its virus definition database and click the "Start Combo Scan" button.

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide; otherwise, it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Remove malicious Safari extensions:

Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for regular browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

Remove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) and select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

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