Has Anyone of You Experienced This?
August 6, 2023
I decided to open my laptop to write something on Google Docs. As I opened my Brave browser, I thought I'd check my FB messages first. I chatted with some friends last night.
The Facebook tab is still open. Yeah, I got a (bad) habit of leaving the tabs on whenever I close my browser.
I clicked on the Facebook tab. I was surprised to see this!
Why was I surprised? Because I haven't used McAfee anti-virus for decades! Moreover, I don't remember installing this security software ever!
Should I be concerned?
Definitely! Why?
Here's why:
I already mentioned that I did not explicitly install the app.
Fake security software is rampant these days.
At first, I thought it was a mere browser pop-up. However, it was unlikely since I am using the Brave browser. Unless it was a pop-in message. I thought it was just in Facebook so I switched the tab. The message was still there. I tried to check the extensions installed on my browser. I can only see part of the list since the message was on top of it.
There was also no button to cancel the "installation".
I realized then that it was a different window that hovers on top of everything!
In the back of my mind, I was wondering how this app got into my laptop in the first place.
Fortunately, I found a way to close the window. Still, I wanted to make sure. So I went to the 'Add or Remove Programs' in the settings. I did not find McAfee in the list.
This puzzled me further. I do not have the slightest idea how that pop-up came about. Was it malware masked as a message from McAfee to trick the users into installing fake security software? It's possible.
Although I am always careful which sites I open, one can never too careful when it comes to security threats. It may also be a legit message, and somehow, McAfee is somehow using a "sneaky" form of marketing. I did a little more investigation even as I write this article.
I Finally Found It!
Ok, I finally found the source. I think it's a valid message. It came out again when I opened Microsoft Edge. I may have accidentally opened the Edge browser on the taskbar when I opened my laptop earlier.
In Closing
I will continue to observe my laptop in the coming days. Anyway, the lesson here is, be careful when messages like this pops-up. A lot of scammers and hackers mask their true intentions by using big and notable brands like McAfee to get your attention and coerce you to install an application that you don't need. The apps you install maybe a trojan horse or worse, could open up a backdoor to your computer.
Stay safe and...
thanks for reading.
really funny!