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Messages-email.com Ads

What is messages-email[.]com?

messages-email[.]com is a rogue website that shares similarities with netflowgroup.com, theactualnewz.com, newsfeedzscrollz.com, and thousands of others. Visitors to them are presented with dubious material and/or are redirected to other untrusted/malicious sites.

People often visit messages-email[.]com and similar web pages inadvertently - most are redirected to them by intrusive ads or by installed Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs). These apps do not need explicit user permission to be installed onto systems. PUAs often have undisclosed and dangerous capabilities, including causing redirects, running intrusive advertisement campaigns, and collecting private data.

   
App-department.report POP-UP Scam (Mac)

What is app-department[.]report?

Websites such as app-department[.]report commonly display pop-up windows and/or show messages warning visitors that their devices have viruses, and that they must click a link to download and install an application to remove them. I.e., app-department[.]report is one of many deceptive pages that use scare tactics to trick visitors into installing dubious applications.

Virus alerts (and other notifications) delivered by app-department[.]report and similar sites are fake. Typically, these web pages are opened when visiting certain (usually bogus) websites, after clicking dubious ads, or by installed potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).

   
Protectad.online POP-UP Scam (Mac)

What is the protectad[.]online website?

protectad[.]online is a deceptive web page designed to promote various scams. The schemes run on this site mainly target iPhone users (but might be accessed via other Apple devices). At the time of research, the website promoted a scam claiming that users' iPhones were exposed to malware and adware.

To rectify this, the scheme urges users to download/install the recommended ad-blocker. The purpose of this type of scam is to endorse a variety of dubious and possibly malicious software. For example, they commonly promote fake anti-virus tools, adware, browser hijackers, and different Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs).

These schemes might even proliferate malware (e.g., Trojans, ransomware, etc.). Typically, deceptive web pages are accessed via mistyped URLs, redirects caused by untrusted sites, intrusive advertisements, or installed PUAs.

Note that the tionscalen[.]top scam website has been observed redirecting to protectad[.]online.

   
TIM Email Scam

What is the TIM email scam?

Typically, scammers behind phishing emails attempt to trick recipients into installing malware or providing sensitive information. They send emails containing malicious attachments (or download links for malicious files) or links designed to open deceptive websites asking to enter/provide personal information.

In most cases, scammers impersonate legitimate organizations/companies and design their emails to seem like important, official messages.

In this particular case, scammers masquerade as TIM, an Italian telecommunications company.

   
Four Ransomware

What is Four ransomware?

Part of the Dharma ransomware family, Four is a malicious program. Systems infected with this malware experience data encryption and users receive ransom demands for decryption.

When this ransomware encrypts, affected files are renamed following this pattern: original filename, unique ID assigned to the victims, cyber criminals' email address, and the ".four" extension. For example, a file originally named "1.jpg" would appear as something similar to "1.jpg.id-C279F237.[lizardcrypt@msgsafe.io].four" after encryption.

Once this process is complete, ransom messages are created in a pop-up window and the "MANUAL.txt" text file.

   
Tionscalen.top POP-UP Scam (Mac)

What is tionscalen[.]top?

tionscalen[.]top is one of many deceptive websites that use a scare tactic to trick users into believing they must download and install (sometimes even buy) a potentially unwanted application (PUA).

One common tactic used by tionscalen[.]top and similar pages to trick unsuspecting into unnecessary downloads and installations is to display fake virus notifications (that the device is infected) and urge them to take immediate action.

Generally, websites such as tionscalen[.]top are promoted through dubious advertisements, bogus websites, and PUAs. I.e., users do not often visit them intentionally.

   
HDSportsSearch Browser Hijacker

What is HDSportsSearch?

HDSportsSearch is rogue software categorized as a browser hijacker. Following successful installation, it makes changes to browser settings to promote the hdsportssearch.com fake search engine.

Furthermore, most browser hijackers have data tracking capabilities that are used to monitor users' browsing habits. HDSportsSearch likely has such functionality as well.

Due to the dubious methods employed to spread browser hijackers, they are also classified as Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs).

   
Woso Browser Hijacker

What is Woso?

Woso is a browser hijacker that promotes the quickgosearch.com fake search engine. Typically, software within this classification promotes fake search engines by making modifications to browser settings, however, Woso does not always have this behavior (see below).

Additionally, Woso collects browsing-related information. Due to the dubious techniques used to proliferate browser hijackers, they are also categorized as Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs).

   
Registry Helper Unwanted Application

What is Registry Helper?

Registry Helper is a rogue application, promoted as a tool capable of improving system performance by removal of registry errors, however, as most users download/install this app unintentionally, it is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

Software within this classification is often nonoperational, and it may have undisclosed harmful capabilities.

   
DirectSportSearch Browser Hijacker

What is DirectSportSearch?

The main purpose of browser hijackers is to force people to visit specific addresses and use fake search engines. Commonly, apps of this type also gather data relating to internet browsing activities. DirectSportSearch is used to promote directsportsearch.com in this way.

Users often download and install browser hijackers unintentionally and, therefore, DirectSportSearch and other apps of this type are classified as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).

   

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