How to prevent redirects to mon-thu deceptive web pages

What is Mon-thu?

Mon-thu is a family of many untrustworthy web pages that deceptively advertise dubious applications. Mon-thu tricks people into believing that their Mac computers are infected with viruses and encourages them to download and install the Smart Mac Booster app (or other similar apps).

Websites of this type and apps promoted on them should never be trusted. Browsers usually open these web pages due to potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) installed on them. PUAs can cause redirects to dubious pages, display unwanted ads, and gather information relating to users.

To trick visitors into downloading and installing applications such as Smart Mac Booster, Mon-thu displays a pop-up window stating that a website, which was visited earlier, has infected the Mac computer with a virus. To remove it, visitors are encouraged to scan their computers with a fake scanner.

When the fake scanning process is complete, Mon-thu indicates that the Mac is infected with a virus called "Bankworm", and the infected file is "/os/apps/worm.icv". To remove it, users must supposedly click the "REMOVE VIRUSES NOW" button, which downloads the maccleaner.pkg file (the installer of the Smart Mac Booster application).

Websites such as Mon-thu should never be trusted. The same applies to software that is advertised on them. The best option is to simply ignore all websites of this kind and never download anything from them.

Browsers often open websites such as Mon-thu due to PUAs installed on them. In addition to causing redirects to dubious web pages, these apps are often designed to gather details relating to users' browsing habits.

For example, addresses of visited websites, IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, and so on, however, some of these apps might also be used to record sensitive details. In any case, developers share the details with third parties (potentially cyber criminals) who misuse them to generate revenue.

Furthermore, PUAs might be designed to display ads (coupons, banners, pop-up ads, surveys, etc.). When clicked, these open dubious websites (including Mon-thu4) or run script that download or even install unwanted software.

Threat Summary:

Name	mon-thu pop-up
Threat Type	Scam, Phishing, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	According to Mon-thu page, the visitor's computer is infected with a Bankworm virus.
Detection Names (mon-thu4.life)	Fortinet (Spam), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List (VirusTotal).
Related Domains	Full list below.
Promoted Unwanted Application	Smart Mac Booster
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information.
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.

Mon-thu is very similar to many other websites of this type. Some examples are Mondaysunday, Websitetrafficgo, and Tutonhamon. In most cases, scammers use them to trick visitors into downloading and installing dubious, unwanted software. Typically, people who arrive at these web pages believe that their computers are infected with viruses.

Furthermore, most PUAs collect users' details, feed them with unwanted ads, and cause redirects to dubious sites. People do not generally download or install these apps intentionally.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

These apps can be downloaded/installed through intrusive, deceptive advertisements. If clicked, many ads run scripts designed to cause unwanted downloads/installations, however, PUAs might also be downloaded and/or installed together with other (usually free) software.

This usually happens when developers use a deceptive marketing method called "bundling".

To trick people, developers include PUAs into the set-ups of other programs and hide related information in "Custom", "Advanced", and other settings. When people download and install software without checking the settings, they often give permission for PUAs to be downloaded or installed with regular software by default.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Do not download or install programs or files using third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrent clients, eMule, dubious (unofficial) websites, or other such tools/sources. The safest way to download is using official websites and direct download links.

Do not download or installation without checking "Custom", "Advanced", and other settings. Dismiss offers to download/install any unwanted software. Do not click intrusive ads, especially if they are displayed on dubious websites (such as web pages relating to gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on).

These often cause unwanted downloads/installations or open other potentially malicious websites. Check for any suspicious, unwanted extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins installed on the browser, or unwanted programs on the computer, and 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.

Text in a Mon-thu pop-up:

VIRUS FOUND

A website you visited today has infected your Mac with a virus.

Press OK to begin the repair process.

Mon-thu encourages visitors to scan their systems:

Text in this web page:

VIRUS FOUND
A website you have visited today has infected your Mac with a virus. A full system scan is now required to find and remove harmful files or applications from your Mac OS X 10_13_6 device.
DEVICE INFORMATION
Brand: Apple
Device: Mac OS X 10_13_6
Browser: Safari 12.0.1
IP: 85.206.10.62
Provider: Telia Lietuva, AB
Location: - LT
Scan Now

Mon-thu displays fake results:

Text in this web page:

DOWNLOAD REQUIRED
Please download the Advanced Mac Cleaner application to remove Bankworm from your Mac.
VIRUS INFORMATION
Virus Name: Bankworm
Risk: HIGH
Infected File: /os/apps/worm.icv
VIRUS REMOVAL
Application: Advanced Mac Cleaner
Rating: 9.9/10
Price: Free
REMOVE VIRUS NOW

Appearance of Mon-thu scam (GIF):

Examples of domains related to this pop-up scam:

mon-thu1[.]life	mon-thu44[.]life
mon-thu116[.]life	mon-thu47[.]life
mon-thu13[.]life	mon-thu49[.]life
mon-thu17[.]life	mon-thu51[.]life
mon-thu25[.]life	mon-thu59[.]life
mon-thu29[.]life	mon-thu77[.]life
mon-thu27[.]life	mon-thu83[.]life
mon-thu35[.]life	mon-thu85[.]life
mon-thu37[.]life	mon-thu90[.]life
mon-thu40[.]life	mon-thu92[.]life

Smart Mac Booster installer:

Smart Mac Booster 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 mon-thu pop-up?
• 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.

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