Apple.security-help-center.club POP-UP Scam (Mac)

What is "apple.security-help-center[.]club"?

The internet is full of deceptive websites such as apple.security-help-center[.]club. This site is a scam that promotes a potentially unwanted application (PUA) called Mac-Tuneup-Pro. It does this by displaying fake virus alerts urging visitors to scan their systems, and then to download and install the aforementioned PUA.

We strongly recommend that you ignore this website and do not trust it. Furthermore, do not download or install applications promoted through websites of this type.

Generally, people do not visit apple.security-help-center[.]club intentionally - they are redirected to it by potentially unwanted apps installed on their systems. This deceptive website displays a pop-up window stating that it has detected a trojan virus (e.tre456_worm_osx) and encourages visitors to begin the 'repair process'.

The website behind this pop-up states that the Mac computer is infected with three viruses: two malicious programs and one phishing/spyware program. According to apple.security-help-center[.]club, these viruses should be removed immediately, otherwise they might cause data loss and put users' personal and banking information at risk.

To begin the repair process, visitors are encouraged to click the "Scan Now" button within five minutes. It then begins a fake scan that usually detects identical viruses: Tapsnake, CronDNS, and Dubfishicv. This website states that these are high-risk viruses that should be removed by downloading the Advanced Mac Cleaner application.

It encourages people to do this by clicking the "REMOVE VIRUSES NOW" button, however, it then downloads the Mac-Tuneup-Pro app. We advise against downloading any applications from this website.

PUAs that open these sites usually deploy intrusive ads such as pop-ups, coupons, banners, surveys, etc. When clicked, they generally open untrustworthy websites or run scripts that download/install other unwanted applications. Furthermore, they are annoying and conceal underlying content of visited websites.

Another downside of PUAs is that they usually gather data such as IP addresses, entered search queries, URLs of visited websites, geolocations, and so on. Developers share the information with third parties who misuse it to generate revenue. Some of these third parties might be cyber criminals.

Threat Summary:

Name	"Apple.security-help-center.club" virus
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus.
Serving IP Address	68.183.69.92
Sibling Domain(s)	appl.security-help-center.club
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites, you notice the presence of dubious applications.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information, installation of potentially unwanted applications.
Malware Removal (Mac)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac 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.

There are many scam websites that promote unwanted apps including, for example, apple.com-repair[.]live, apple.com-clean-os[.]live, and apple.com-scan[.]live. None of these websites are trustworthy. The same applies to software promoted on them.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Most people download and install PUAs inadvertently through intrusive ads or when they skip software installation (or download) steps. Software developers often use a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". They use this to trick people into installing and downloading unwanted apps with software that people intentionally download from the internet.

They hide PUAs in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of software installation/download dialogs. Furthermore, many users do not correctly handle download and installation of software properly and leave settings unchanged - this allows PUAs to be installed and downloaded.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

We strongly recommend that you download software using official sources (websites) and directs links. Do not use third party software downloaders, installers, torrent clients, eMule (or other Peer-to-Peer networks), and similar sources. Check "Advanced", "Custom", and other sections of the installation or download dialogs (setups).

Ensure that there are no checkboxes ticked by default and deselect offers to install unwanted software. If you experience redirects to untrustworthy websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating) or intrusive ads appear, PUAs might be installed on your computer or browser.

Check for suspicious entries (plug-ins, add-ons, and extensions) installed on your browser, and programs on the computer. Uninstall/remove them immediately. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Screenshot of fake pop-up error displayed on apple.security-help-center[.]club website:

Text presented in apple.security-help-center[.]club pop-up window:

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
We have detected a trojan virus (e.tre456_worm_osx) on your Mac.
Press OK to begin the repair process.

Screenshot of apple.security-help-center[.]club performing a fake virus scan:

Screenshot of apple.security-help-center[.]club encouraging visitors to download dubious software:

Text presented on this page:

Your Mac is heavily damaged! (33.2%)
Please download the Advanced Mac Cleaner application to remove 3 Viruses from your Mac.

 

VIRUS INFORMATION
Virus Name: Tapsnake; CronDNS; Dubfishicv
Risk: HIGH
Infected Files: /os/apps/hidden/os-component/X/snake.icv; /os/local/conf/keyboard/retype.icv...

 

REMOVE VIRUSES NOW

 

VIRUS REMOVAL
Application: Advanced Mac Cleaner
Rating: 9.9/10
Price: Free

Screenshot of the Mac-Tuneup-Pro installer:

Screenshot of the Mac-Tuneup-Pro application:

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 "Apple.security-help-center.club" virus?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

• Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
• Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
• Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
• Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
• Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

• If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
• If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
• If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
• Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

▼ Show Discussion