The Guard Mac OS

Mac GNU Privacy Guard A project to bring GnuPG to Mac OS X with a nice front end and inter application services. Mac GNU Privacy Guard I gladly may announce that a new and more active group has taken over the projects that were published on MacGPG. Our AdGuard v2.5 for Mac version is specifically designed to cooperate seamlessly with the new macOS 11 (Big Sur). We have resolved many compatibility problems and added new gorgeous app icons that suit new OS style.

We design Mac hardware and software with advanced technologies that work together to run apps more securely, protect your data, and help keep you safe on the web. And with macOS Big Sur available as a free upgrade, it’s easy to get the most secure version of macOS for your Mac.*

Apple M1 chip.
A shared architecture for security.

The Apple M1 chip with built-in Secure Enclave brings the same powerful security capabilities of iPhone to Mac — protecting your login password, automatically encrypting your data, and powering file-level encryption so you stay safe. And the Apple M1 chip keeps macOS secure while it’s running, just as iOS has protected iPhone for years.

Apple helps you keep your Mac secure with software updates.

The best way to keep your Mac secure is to run the latest software. When new updates are available, macOS sends you a notification — or you can opt in to have updates installed automatically when your Mac is not in use. macOS checks for new updates every day and starts applying them in the background, so it’s easier and faster than ever to always have the latest and safest version.

Protection starts at the core.

The technically sophisticated runtime protections in macOS work at the very core of your Mac to keep your system safe from malware. This starts with state-of-the-art antivirus software built in to block and remove malware. Technologies like XD (execute disable), ASLR (address space layout randomization), and SIP (system integrity protection) make it difficult for malware to do harm, and they ensure that processes with root permission cannot change critical system files.

Download apps safely from the Mac App Store. And the internet.

Now apps from both the App Store and the internet can be installed worry-free. App Review makes sure each app in the App Store is reviewed before it’s accepted. Gatekeeper on your Mac ensures that all apps from the internet have already been checked by Apple for known malicious code — before you run them the first time. If there’s ever a problem with an app, Apple can quickly stop new installations and even block the app from launching again.

Guard

Stay in control of what data apps can access.

Apps need your permission to access files in your Documents, Downloads, and Desktop folders as well as in iCloud Drive and external volumes. And you’ll be prompted before any app can access the camera or mic, capture keyboard activity, or take a photo or video of your screen.

FileVault 2 encrypts your data.

With FileVault 2, your data is safe and secure — even if your Mac falls into the wrong hands. FileVault 2 encrypts the entire drive on your Mac, protecting your data with XTS-AES 128 encryption. Mac computers built on the Apple M1 chip take data protection even further by using dedicated hardware to protect your login password and enabling file-level encryption, which developers can take advantage of — just as on iPhone.

Designed to protect your privacy.

Online privacy isn’t just something you should hope for — it’s something you should expect. That’s why Safari comes with powerful privacy protection technology built in, including Intelligent Tracking Prevention that identifies trackers and helps prevent them from profiling or following you across the web. A new weekly Privacy Report on your start page shows how Safari protects you as you browse over time. Or click the Privacy Report button in your Safari toolbar for an instant snapshot of the cross-site trackers Safari is actively preventing on that web page.

Automatic protections from intruders.

Safari uses iCloud Keychain to securely store your passwords across all your devices. If it ever detects a security concern, Password Monitoring will alert you. Safari also prevents suspicious websites from loading and warns you if they’re detected. And because it runs web pages in separate processes, any harmful code is confined to a single browser tab and can’t crash the whole browser or access your data.

Find your missing Mac with Find My.

The Find My app can help you locate a missing Mac — even if it’s offline or sleeping — by sending out Bluetooth signals that can be detected by nearby Apple devices. These devices then relay the detected location of your Mac to iCloud so you can locate it. It’s all anonymous and encrypted end-to-end so no one — including Apple — knows the identity of any reporting device or the location of your Mac. And it all happens silently using tiny bits of data that piggyback on existing network traffic. So there’s no need to worry about your battery life, your data usage, or your privacy being compromised.

Keep your Mac safe.
Even if it’s in the wrong hands.

All Mac systems built on the Apple M1 chip or with the Apple T2 Security Chip support Activation Lock, just like your iPhone or iPad. So if your Mac is ever misplaced or lost, the only person who can erase and reactivate it is you.

macOS Security

Mac Os Catalina

Mac Defender (also known as Mac Protector, Mac Security,[1]Mac Guard,[2]Mac Shield,[3] and FakeMacDef)[4] is an internet rogue security program that targets computers running macOS. The Mac security firm Intego discovered the fake antivirus software on 2 May 2011, with a patch not being provided by Apple until 31 May.[5] The software has been described as the first major malware threat to the Macintosh platform (although it does not attach to or damage any part of OS X).[6][7][8][9][10][11] However, it is not the first Mac-specific Trojan, and is not self-propagating.

A variant of the program, known as Mac Guard, has been reported which does not require the user to enter a password to install the program,[12] although one still does have to run the installer.[13]

Symptoms[edit]

Users typically encounter the program when opening an image found on a search engine. It appears as a pop-up indicating that viruses have been detected on the users' computer and suggests they download a program which, if installed, provides the users' personal information to unauthorized third parties.

The program appears in malicious links spread by search engine optimization poisoning on sites such as Google Image Search.[14] When a user accesses such a malicious link, a fake scanning window appears, originally in the style of a Windows XP application,[14] but later in the form of an 'Apple-type interface'.[15] The program falsely appears to scan the system's hard drive.[14] The user is then prompted to download a file that installs Mac Defender, and is then asked to pay US$59.95 to US$79.95 for a license for the software.[14] Rather than protect against viruses, Mac Defender hijacks the user's Internet browser to display sites related to pornography, and also exposes the user to identity theft (by passing on credit card information to the cracker).[14][16] A newer variant installs itself without needing the user to enter a password.[17] All variants require the user to actively click through an installer to complete installation even if a password is not required.[18]

Origin[edit]

The software has been traced through German websites, which have been closed down, to the Russian online payment ChronoPay.Mac Defender was traced to ChronoPay by the email address of ChronoPay financial controller Alexandra Volkova.[19] The email address appeared in domain registration for mac-defence.com and macbookprotection.com, two web sites Mac users are directed to in order to purchase the security software. ChronoPay is Russia's largest online payment processor. The web sites were hosted in Germany and were suspended by Czech registrar Webpoint.name. ChronoPay had earlier been linked to another scam in which users involved in file sharing were asked to pay a fine.[20][21]

Apple response[edit]

Catalina

According to Sophos, by 24 May, 2011, there had been sixty thousand calls to AppleCare technical support about Mac Defender-related issues,[22] and Ed Bott of ZDNet reported that the number of calls to AppleCare increased in volume due to Mac Defender and that a majority of the calls at that time pertained to Mac Defender.[23] AppleCare employees were told not to assist callers in removing the software.[24] Specifically, support employees were told not to instruct callers on how to use Force Quit and Activity Monitor to stop Mac Defender, as well as not to direct callers to any discussions pertaining to the problems caused by Mac Defender.[22] An anonymous AppleCare support employee said that Apple instituted the policy in order to prevent users from relying on technical support instead of anti-virus programs.[24]

AppleCare employees were told not to assist callers in removing the software, but Apple later promised a software patch.[25] On 24 May 2011 Apple issued instructions on the prevention and removal of the malware.[26] The Mac OS X security update 2011-003 was released on 31 May 2011, and includes not only an automatic removal of the trojan, and other security updates, but a new feature that automatically updates malware definitions from Apple.[1]

See also[edit]

The Guard Mask

References[edit]

  1. ^ ab'About Security Update 2011-003'. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. ^'Intego Mac Security Blog'. 25 May 2001. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  3. ^'Mac malware morphs to 'MacShield''. Technolog. MSNBC. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ^'Threat Description: Rogue:OSX/FakeMacDef.A'. F-Secure. Retrieved 11 February 2013.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. ^Hamburger, Ellis (2 May 2011). 'WARNING: This Mac App Is Stealing Credit Card Numbers'. Retrieved 7 December 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. ^'Macs face first virus threat'. techday.co.nz. 4 May 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  7. ^'Say hello to MAC Defender, the first major widespread piece of Mac based malware'. left-click.us. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  8. ^Dachis, Adam (25 May 2011). 'How to Protect Your Computer from Mac Defender and Its Counterparts'. Mac Defender has been making a lot of noise as one of the first major Mac security threats. lifehacker.com.
  9. ^Dan Moren (2 May 2011). 'New Mac Trojan horse masquerades as virus scanner'. macworld.com.
  10. ^Trenholm, Rich (19 May 2011). 'The old saw that Macs don't get viruses is under fire as a piece of malware called Mac Defender is rampaging across the Web'. cnet.com.Missing or empty url= (help)
  11. ^'Mac Defender fake antivirus software is first major attack on Apple computers'. crave.cnet.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  12. ^< 'Mac Guard: Apple users hit by second Mac malware scam'. Christian Science Monitor Horizons blog. 26 May 2001.
  13. ^'New Mac Defender Variant, MacGuard, Doesn't Require Password for Installation'. Mac Security Blog from Intego. 25 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  14. ^ abcdeWisniewski, Chester (2 May 2011). 'Mac users hit with fake anti-virus when using Google image search'. Naked Security. Sophos. Retrieved 24 May 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  15. ^Mills, Elinor (19 May 2011). 'How bad is the Mac malware scare? (FAQ)'. CNET.
  16. ^Chen, Brian X. (19 May 2011). 'New Mac Malware Fools Customers, But Threat Still Relatively Small'. Wired. Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved 24 May 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  17. ^'New Mac Defender Variant, MacGuard, Doesn't Require Password for Installation'. The Mac Security Blog » INTEGO SECURITY MEMO. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  18. ^'New Mac Defender Variant, MacGuard, Doesn't Require Password for Installation'. The Mac Security Blog » INTEGO SECURITY MEMO. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  19. ^'Apple takes on Mac Defender Scam'. International Business Times. 29 May 2011.
  20. ^'MacDefender Scareware Linked to Russian Payment Site'. News & Opinion. PCMag.com.
  21. ^'Russia's ChronoPay Executive Linked to Mac Defender Scam'. International Business Times.
  22. ^ abWisniewski, Chester (24 May 2011). 'Apple support to infected Mac users: 'You cannot show the customer how to stop the process''. Naked Security. Sophos. Retrieved 24 May 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  23. ^Bott, Ed (18 May 2011). 'An AppleCare support rep talks: Mac malware is 'getting worse''. ZDNet. Retrieved 24 May 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  24. ^ abCluley, Graham (18 May 2011). 'Malware on your Mac? Don't expect AppleCare to help you remove it'. Naked Security. Sophos. Retrieved 24 May 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  25. ^'Mac malware authors release a new, more dangerous version'. zdnet.com. 25 May 2011.
  26. ^'How to avoid or remove Mac Defender malware'. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mac_Defender&oldid=988748030'