Sophos warns against iMunizator ‘scareware’

Calling it a trojan horse, security firm Sophos has warned Mac users against downloading and using a Mac OS X application called “iMunizator,” calling the software “scareware.”

According to the security bulletin, iMunizator performs a “scan” and then claims — incorrectly — that privacy issues have been discovered on the target computer. It then encourages the user to spend money to correct the “problem.”

“Windows users are no stranger to scareware like this, but it is rarer on the Apple Macintosh,” said Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley. Cluely said that Mac users should exercise caution about what software they run on their computer and should “learn from the mistakes made by their Windows cousins.”

Sophos Labs reports that iMunizator is “closely related” to MacSweeper, another piece of Mac scareware that’s made the rounds in recent months.