The virus removal section of the same screen recommends an application to sort out the purported security quandary. This popup warning emphasizes that it’s a high risk virus, and the infected file’s path is “/os/apps/worm.icv”. A full system scan is now required to find and remove harmful files or applications from your OS X device”.įinally, the scam is complemented with the key component that raises a red flag on the mysterious Bankworm. The wording of the alert in the header of this splash screen is as follows: “A website you have visited today has infected your Mac with a virus. Obviously, seeing this sensitive data instills a bit more trust and encourages the victim to follow the further recommendations. These details are retrieved by means of basic reconnaissance that the browser hijacker conducts in the host machine prior to the malvertising outbreak. Another one contains a similar alert but additionally includes actual information about the plagued device, such as the version of macOS or Mac OS X, the browser build, IP address, ISP name, and the location. Although this alert contains a clickable OK button, hitting it will only pave the way for subsequent spoof warnings. The last website you visited has infected your Mac with a virus. First off, it’s a dialog box that says “Virus found. The Bankworm popup scam is composed of several elements that the infected Mac user will encounter when routinely surfing the web. The rogue app’s name might vary, depending on the latest spinoff of this scareware lineage. This way, the malefactors try to upsell a rogue system utility called MacKeeper or Advanced Mac Cleaner. Its logic involves deceptive alerts that pop up in the web browser and give the victim a heads-up on the severe Bankworm virus, which isn’t on the Mac for real. This particular con has been up and running since about 2015, yet it’s still afloat now in 2019. This is what’s happening in the Bankworm phony warning scenario. In order to achieve a stronger intimidation effect, the fraudsters add some scary malware names to the mix. Acknowledging this mindset, threat actors out there are coining fraudulent campaigns whose objective is to manipulate the natural desire of security. It’s in every Apple Mac user’s best interest to keep viruses away from their machine and make sure its performance is at a consistently decent level.

The goal is always the same: to make it look like the Mac is malware-stricken in order to dupe the victim into downloading something actually malicious. That’s because cybercriminals are getting increasingly proficient in imitating genuine browser alerts, as is the case with the Bankworm virus scam. Differentiating online scams from real threats is easier said than done.

Apple virus scan alert