Avoid downloading dubious software through Mondaysunday
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Mondaysunday?
Mondaysunday is a deceptive website used to advertise a rogue application called Smart Mac Booster. When opened, it informs visitors that their computers are infected with viruses and encourages them to remove the threats with the aforementioned application.
Websites such as Mondaysunday and apps promoted on them should not be trusted. Typically, websites of this type are opened by potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) that are installed on browsers or computers. PUAs are often designed to record various user-system information and display annoying, often deceptive advertisements.
At first, Mondaysunday displays a pop-up window stating that the visitor's Mac computer is infected with a virus. The Mondaysunday website mentions that this virus infected the computer through a previously visited website. To remove harmful files or applications, visitors can supposedly scan their computers by clicking the "Scan Now" button.
This website launches a fake virus scanner, which detects a virus named "Bankworm" and indicates that the name of an infected file is "/os/apps/worm.icv". Visitors can apparently remove this virus by clicking the "REMOVE VIRUS NOW" button, which downloads the maccleaner.pkg file (installer of the Smart Mac Booster application).
As we mentioned, Mondaysunday is a deceptive website that cannot be trusted. Therefore, applications that are advertised through it should also not be trusted. It is very likely that this website might be designed to promote different applications at different times.
If your browser opens web pages such as Mondaysunday automatically, it is very likely that there is a PUA installed on it. Apps of this type gather information relating users, which the developers share with third parties (potentially cyber criminals) who misuse private data to generate revenue.
Typically, PUAs record users' IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited websites, entered search queries, etc., however, they might also target sensitive information. Furthermore, many apps of this type feed users with unwanted advertisements including, for example, banners, coupons, pop-ups, surveys, etc.
If clicked, these often redirect people to untrustworthy, potentially malicious web pages or download (or even install) unwanted software.
| Name | Mondaysunday pop-up |
| Threat Type | Mac malware, Mac virus. |
| Fake Claim | Mondaysunday claims that the visitor's Mac is infected with the Bankworm virus. |
| Detection Names | BitDefender (Malware), G-Data (Phishing), Sophos AV (Malicious), Spamhaus (Spam), Full List (VirusTotal). |
| Serving IP Address | 185.89.102.8 |
| Promoted Unwanted Application | Smart Mac Booster |
| Symptoms | Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads. |
| Damage | Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information. |
| Malware Removal (Mac) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
There are many other websites similar to Mondaysunday. Some examples are Websitetrafficgo, apple.com-shield-guard[.]live, and Tutonhamon.
Typically, they notify visitors that their computers are infected with a virus (or viruses) and encourage to them to remove detected malware with another app immediately. PUAs are generally very similar: most gather data and serve intrusive advertisements. If any PUAs or other unwanted apps are installed on your Mac, they should be removed immediately.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
People download generally and install unwanted software (such as PUAs) unintentionally. Typically, this happens when PUAs are included in the set-ups of other programs. In most cases, information about these additionally-included apps is hidden in options such as "Advanced", "Custom", and so on.
Unfortunately, many people fail to check and change these settings, and do not dismiss offers to download and/or install additional software. When they leave the settings unchanged, they often allow PUAs to be downloaded or installed with regular software.
PUAs can sometimes be downloaded/installed by clicking intrusive, deceptive advertisements. Some ads run scripts that download and/or install unwanted programs.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
Download software using official, trustworthy websites and direct download links. Other sources/tools such as third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule), unofficial websites should not be trusted. They are often used to distribute various PUAs.
Check settings such as "Custom" and "Advanced" that are included in download/installation set-ups. Dismiss any offers to download or install additional (unwanted) software before finishing the download/installation. Do not click intrusive advertisements, since they often cause redirects to potentially malicious websites or download/install unwanted applications.
Finally, if there are any unwanted extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons installed on the browser or unwanted programs on the computer, we strongly recommend that you remove/uninstall them immediately. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Text in the pop-up window:
VIRUS FOUND
A website you visited today has infected your Mac with a virus.
Press OK to begin the repair process.
Screenshot of a second Mondaysunday web page:
Text in this web page:
VIRUS FOUND
A website you have visited today has infected your Mac with a virus. A full system scan is now required to find and remove harmful files or applications from your Mac OS X 10_13_6 device.
DEVICE INFORMATION
Brand: Apple
Device: Mac OS X 10_13_6
Browser: Safari 12.0.1
IP: 85.206.10.62
Provider: Telia Lietuva, AB
Location: - LT
Scan Now
Screenshot of scanning results:
Text in this web page:
DOWNLOAD REQUIRED
Please download the Advanced Mac Cleaner application to remove Bankworm from your Mac.
VIRUS INFORMATION
Virus Name: Bankworm
Risk: HIGH
Infected File: /os/apps/worm.icv
VIRUS REMOVAL
Application: Advanced Mac Cleaner
Rating: 9.9/10
Price: Free
REMOVE VIRUS NOW
Appearance of Mondaysunday scam (GIF):
Installer of Smart Mac Booster:
Smart Mac Booster application:
Instant automatic Mac malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac
By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.
Quick menu:
- What is Mondaysunday pop-up?
- How to identify a pop-up scam?
- How do pop-up scams work?
- How to remove fake pop-ups?
- How to prevent fake pop-ups?
- What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?
How to identify a pop-up scam?
Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.
While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.
Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:
- Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
- Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
- Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
- Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
- Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.
Example of a pop-up scam:
How do pop-up scams work?
Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.
Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.
How to remove fake pop-ups?
In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.
In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.
How to prevent fake pop-ups?
To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.
To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS.
What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?
This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.
- If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
- If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
- If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
- Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.
Outstanding!
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