Help!
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- caperobin
Was surfing the net last night for research and clicked on seemingly normal websites..the next thing I know AntiVirus 2009 (for windows) pops up and says that my comp has spyware and viruses. I have a Mac.
I was on my gmail at the time, and immediately logged off when I saw this.
I logged on my other computer (Windows) and checked out the setting of my gmail and the POP (Post Office Protocol - hich lets you download messages from Gmail's servers onto your computer so you can access your mail with programs like Microsoft Outlook Express or Netscape Mail, even when you aren't connected to the Internet) and saw that POP had been enabled, which I definitely disabled. It was enabled to enable POP for all my mail :/
What can I do?? I'm worried that my personal info is being tracked. Did a scan for viruses, but nothing so far. Any of you have similar cases? Or spyware issues??
- canuck0
You're fine.
- caperobin0
how do you know? busy doing a spyware check..but I'm wondering how did someone get into my account and enable my setting?
- That's unrelated to the pop-up you saw on your maclocustsloth
- canuck0
I've seen that AntiVirus 2009 (for windows) thing at work, i'm on a mac too. It occasionally pops up when I go to http://www.ebuddy.com (online messenger).
- caperobin0
is it a promotional thing then? or a scare tactic for windows users?
- detritus0
I say you take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
- caperobin0
heh?
- detritus0
My apologies, wit isn't my strong point.
If the internet gives you what looks like a 'Windows error' of any kind when you're browsing on a mac, you can fairly safely assume you're ok, and that some numpty somewhere's just fishing for noobs.
- ********0
Get one of these then:
- uhg, is this that karim rashid garbage?d_rek
- That guy loves his "dress" sneakers
orangecrunch
- ********0
Defintely bin your mac and get a new one
- SoulFly0
I've got similar pop-ups like that. They look so real, even shows a in progress bar, and you get the message that your "PC" is infected.
Those ads should be banned.
I spent a long time worrying about spyware on my mac. If you run the software update for firefox or safari I think you are pretty safe, that's the word I get from Mac experts.
- d_rek0
Well, if you're using a PC you really need more than just anti-virus software if you want to be well protected. The built in security features of windows are less than adequate when it comes to spyware/malware and the windows firewall is a joke.
What you really need is a good firewall - one that will let you know when malicious software is trying to access your computer or send information to your ip address.
I use Sygate Personal Firewall - it's advanced enough to keep almost all threats away but user friendly as well. Worth getting if you spend a lot of time on a PC.