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Original poster

McAfee virus scam

6 replies

REignbow · 13/06/2022 17:05

For the last two weeks, when I’m reading a thread. I will get an alert from McAfee saying I have a virus.

l Use a tablet and this doesn’t occur on any other website etc that I look at.

I have signed out of MN and changed my password but it is still happening.

Has MN been hacked?

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MNHQ

LilyMumsnet · 13/06/2022 20:16

Hi OP

Can you possibly take a screenshot for us the next time that this happens, so we can take a look?

MNHQ

KatyMumsnet · 15/06/2022 10:27

Hi, in the screenshots it looks like this has opened up in a new tab rather than popping up on Mumsnet - is this what happens or is that because you've clicked on a pop-up that appeared on Mumsnet?

We need to understand what exactly is happening to figure out what's happening here so will appreciate any more information you can give. Thanks!

MNHQ

KatyMumsnet · 15/06/2022 16:43

Hi, thanks for the extra information we're just trying to be sure about what exactly is happening so we know which route to take to prevent it.

We have blocks in place against auto pop-ups but since a new tab is opening we have asked our security provider to investigate. In the meantime, we have added window-safe.com to our global blocklist so that we can track if they are coming through via ads.

MNHQ

KatyMumsnet · 20/06/2022 09:51

Hi, apologies for the delayed response.

We've done everything we can to prevent it from ever popping up on Mumsnet and it has been flagged to our external security provider as the screenshots on this thread do show another tab has opened.

You may have accidentally clicked on something that has installed malicious software on your device which is causing the advert to keep popping up while you are browsing.

You should run a malware check to see if your device has any malicious software installed on it - https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download

Also, check your browser to see if you have any suspicious plugins and remove them, here are some instructions:

  • Open Settings and select Safari.
  • Scroll down and tap on Extensions.
  • Choose the extension you would like to disable.
  • Tap the toggle next to it to disable the extension. Repeat for every extension you'd like to turn off.
We'd also suggest closing down all your tabs and clearing your browser cookies and cache, there are instructions in this article on how to do this - https://browserhow.com/how-to-clear-history-cookies-and-cache-from-safari-ios-ipados/
MNHQ

KatyMumsnet · 21/06/2022 09:08

I can see in the screenshots that there are pop-ups and a new tab opening, apologies for not being clearer in my previous message. There are two possibilities - one is that it is a pop-up originating from Mumsnet and the other is that you've clicked on something that has installed malicious software on your device.

We’re doing everything we can on our side to locate and block this from our side. We have set up targeted and manual scanning to catch the issue. We have also added the malicious domain window-safe[.]com to our global block list. We will update you as soon as we know more.

MNHQ

KatyMumsnet · 21/06/2022 14:12

We do understand the issue and as I said before we’re doing everything we can on our side to locate and block this from happening.

There is a new tab that has opened in your screenshot, so we're just covering all bases by asking you to check on your side in case there is anything else that is causing these pop-ups to continue. If you've run those checks then you can rule that out.

It's good that the frequency has decreased hopefully that means the measures we've put in place are working!

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