Do not download software from securedconection.com

What is securedconection[.]com?

securedconection[.]com is the address of a deceptive website that targets people who use iPhones. It display a fake virus notification and trick visitors into installing software that supposedly removes 'detected' viruses. At the time of research, securedconection[.]com urged users to download and install Antivirus VPN App.

Note that securedconection[.]com and other websites of this type should never be trusted - the same applies to software that is advertised on or through them.

Once opened, securedconection[.]com displays a pop-up window stating that the visitor's iPhone was hacked through an adult website and is infected with 14 viruses. It urges them to solve this problem (remove viruses) within two minutes, otherwise detected viruses will damage the SIM card, and delete all photos and contacts.

Note that securedconection[.]com encourages people to remove all viruses with the Antivirus VPN App, which can be downloaded by clicking the "Install VPN app" button in the window displayed after closing the first pop-up. At the time of  research, however, the button opened another pop-up window stating that it opens the App Store website.

In fact, it opened google.com. Note that securedconection[.]com might also be used to promote other apps. Neither websites such as securedconection[.]com nor apps that are promoted through them can be trusted.

Sites such as securedconection[.]com are often opened by browsers when potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) are installed on them. Apps of this type force browsers to open untrustworthy sites and gather information relating to users' browsing habits, and display advertisements.

In most cases, PUAs collect details such as IP addresses, URLs of visited sited, entered search queries, geolocations, and so on. Some PUAs also record personal information. Developers share the information with third parties who misuse it to generate revenue.

The data might also be shared with cyber criminals. PUAs often display pop-up ads, coupons, banners, surveys and other unwanted content/advertisements. If clicked, these redirect people to dubious, deceptive websites or execute scripts that download and/or install unwanted apps.

Threat Summary:

Name	securedconection.com pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	This web page states that the visitor's device (iPhone) is infected with viruses.
Detection Names	Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	134.209.60.38
Promoted Unwanted Application	Antivirus VPN App
Symptoms	Your device 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.

Some examples of other pages that are designed to advertise software in a deceptive way are safebrowsing[.]network, manualchecker[.]com, and bestantius[.]com. Generally, websites of this type inform visitors that their devices are infected with viruses and encourage them to remove them with specific software. Do not download any apps promoted on these web pages.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Most PUAs are distributed using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". This is used to trick people into downloading and/or installing unwanted apps with regular software by including them in the download and/or installation set-ups. Typically, these additional PUAs are presented as useful offers.

In most cases, these offers can be found in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the set-ups.

People who download and install programs without checking these settings often allow unwanted apps to be downloaded and/or installed through the setups of other, regular software. Additionally, PUAs are sometimes downloaded and/or installed through deceptive ads that cause unwanted downloads/installations by running certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download software from official/trustworthy sources (websites) and use download direct links. Do not download or install using third party downloaders, installers, torrent clients, eMule (or other Peer-to-Peer networks), untrustworthy pages, and so on.

If download or installation setup includes additional, unwanted software then it should be deselected through settings such as "Custom" and "Advanced". Furthermore, intrusive advertisements should not be trusted, especially if they are shown on dubious pages.

Typically, they lead to untrustworthy websites. In some cases, they might cause download/installation of potentially malicious software. If your browser opens dubious pages automatically or ads appear on visited websites, it is likely that this is caused by an installed PUA.

Remove all unwanted, unknown apps (extensions, plug-ins, pop-ups) that are installed on the browser. The same applies to programs of this kind that are installed on the operating system. 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 the first securedconection[.]com pop-up window:

DANGER!

Your iPhone was hacked after visiting an Adult website and 14 viruses were found!

If this problem will not be resolved within two minutes, viruses will delete all of your contacts and photos, and the SIM card wll be damaged!

Please click the button below to get instructions for removing all viruses.

 securedconection[.]com urges people to remove viruses by installing Antivirus VPN App:

Text in this window:

14 viruses were found
Your Apple iPhone was hacked after visiting an Adult website and 14 viruses were found! If this problem will not be resolved within two minutes, viruses will delete all of your contacts and photos, and the SIM card wll be damaged!
1 minute 58 seconds
How to remove all viruses:
Step 1: Click "Install VPN app" button below;
Step 2: You will be redirected to the AppStore;
Step 3: Install VPN app, open it and run cleaning procedure

Remove all Viruses    Install VPN app

Screenshot of a second pop-up window:

Text in this pop-up:

You will be directed to the AppStore now in order to install the Antivirus VPN App

After installation, start the VPN App to remove the viruses.

Mobile version of the securedconection[.]com deceptive page:

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 securedconection.com 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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