How to avoid being forced to visit coffeekept.live

What is coffeekept[.]live?

coffeekept[.]live is a rogue website which uses a certain scripts to load content from other deceptive websites (e.g. from web pages that perform fake virus scans). The scammers behind this site aim to trick people into downloading and installing various dubious software (including Auto Mac Booster and other unwanted apps).

Note that coffeekept[.]live loads content with notifications of 'detected viruses' - visitors are to believe that their computers are infected, and must then remove the threats with dubious apps. We strongly advise against trusting coffeekept[.]live and other deceptive sites, or downloading software from them.

At the time of research, coffeekept[.]live first displayed a pop-up window stating that this web page had detected a virus, which infected the computer though a website visited earlier. It then displayed a window with device information (macOS version, IP address, and other details) and encouraged users to run a 'full system scan' by clicking the "Scan Now" button.

Once the fake scanning process was finished, it stated that it detected a virus called "Bankworm" and offered removal of it by clicking the "REMOVE VIRUS NOW" button.

This led to a download page of a dubious application called Auto Mac Booster. Note that these web pages are also used to distribute other apps. In any case, no software that is advertised via deceptive pages can be trusted. Therefore, ignore fake notifications relating to any 'detected viruses' and simply close deceptive sites that display them.

In most cases, people do not visit sites such as coffeekept[.]live intentionally - they are usually opened by browsers with potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) installed. Typically, PUAs open untrustworthy websites, collect browsing data, and display ads.

They gather details such as IP addresses, entered search queries, URLs of visited websites, geolocations, and so on, however, some also record personal details. In any case, developers share the data with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.

Many PUAs feed users with intrusive ads. For example, they display coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, and so on. If clicked, these open dubious websites (such as coffeekept[.]live) or run scripts designed to download or install various unwanted applications.

Threat Summary:

Name	coffeekept.live pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Fake Claim	This web page loads content from sites claiming that the visitor's computer is infected with viruses.
Detection Names	Full List (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	104.27.179.80
Promoted Unwanted Application	Auto 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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac 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.

There are many scam websites that promote various unwanted apps. For example, coffeekept[.]live loads content from web pages such as apple.com-mac-optimization[.]live, apple.com-mac-optimizing[.]live, apple.com-mac-optimizer[.]live, and many others.

Scammers use coffeekept[.]live and other deceptive sites to trick people into installing unwanted apps. The aforementioned PUAs are all very similar. Developers promote them as legitimate apps, however, most cause problems relating to browsing safety, privacy, and even identity theft. If an app of this type installed on your browser or computer, remove it immediately.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

In most cases, people download and install unwanted apps by clicking dubious, deceptive ads, or when software developers distribute them using the "bundling" method. This is a deceptive marketing method that developers use to trick people into downloading and/or installing PUAs together with other software that people wish to download and install intentionally.

To achieve this, they include unwanted apps into the download and/or installation set-ups of other software, and hide related information in settings such as "Custom" or "Advanced". Many users allow PUAs to be downloaded and/or installed when they leave settings that are available in the set-ups unchanged.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Do not use third party software downloaders (or installers), Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule etc.), dubious, unofficial websites or other similar sources/channels to download or install software. This should be done using only official, trustworthy websites and direct download links.

Check all "Advanced" and "Custom" settings available in download/installation setups and dismiss offers to download or install additional, unwanted apps (otherwise they will be downloaded and installed with your software by default). Do not click intrusive advertisements, especially if they are displayed on untrustworthy web pages.

When clicked, these can redirect people to potentially malicious sites or cause unwanted downloads and installations. If unwanted redirects happen often, or ads appear on visited websites, uninstall all unwanted, unknown extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons from the browser, and do the same with programs of this kind that are installed on the operating system.

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 coffeekept[.]live 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 coffeekept[.]live page:

Text in this 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 10.14 device.
DEVICE INFORMATION
Brand: Apple
Device: Mac OS X 10.14
Browser: Firefox 70.0
IP: 85.206.10.62
Provider: Telia Lietuva, AB
Location: - LT
Scan Now

Screenshot of a third coffeekept[.]live page:

Text in this 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 coffeekept[.]live scam website (GIF):

Screenshot of Auto Mac Booster download page:

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 coffeekept.live 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.

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