OS X Malware Demands $300 FBI Fine For Viewing, Distributing Porn

An anonymous reader writes "A new piece of malware is targeting OS X to extort money from victims by accusing them of illegally accessing pornography. Ransomware typically uses claims of breaking the law and names law enforcement (such as the CIA or FBI) to scare victims, but it is usually aimed at Windows users, not Mac users. The security firm Malwarebytes first spotted this latest threat, noting that criminals have ported the ransomware scheme to OS X and are even exploiting a Safari-specific feature. The ransomware page in question gets pushed onto unsuspecting users browsing high-trafficked sites as well as when searching for popular keywords."

Comments

Ok?

[i kan reed]

I thought we were past the "being surprised that apple products get malware" stage years ago. This seems like a pretty run-of-the-mill scam. I can't really see what's notable about it. Someone help?

Re:Ok?

[fazey]

So how is this "mac specific" or an "exploit"... and not just... a popup?

FTFY

[SuperKendall]

I thought we were past the "being surprised that websites get hacked" years ago.

This is not malware, it's a hacked site with annoying javascript. The only news here is how desperate some people are to show that OSX is vulnerable to malware - even when the malware never is installed on the system...

Re:FTFY

[jimicus]

It is malware, it's just not running from a platform usually used for such things.

True, but the important point is the platform in question is not OS X and it is somewhat disingenuous to pretend it is. The platform is "any web browser that automatically reloads the last visited site if you force it to quit".

Not a virus, how does your foot taste?

[raymorris]

How does that foot in your mouth taste? It's not a virus, and not OSX specific - it's just a web page with some annoying Javascript.

Re:makes sense

[93 Escort Wagon]

Still bitter about that Mac user stealing your girlfriend, I see...