At 1.41pm on Friday January 21 our site’s security was compromised by hackers. Anyone who visited the site from that time up until 9am on Monday January 24 may have been exposed to a virus. Here is how to tell of you have been infected by the virus, and how to remove it if you have been.
Have I been infected?
If your computer runs Windows XP, Vista or 7, and you visited the site during the time period above, you were at risk of infection. Apple Mac and Linux users were not at risk.
Unlike many other viruses, this virus announces itself, so you will definitely know if you have been infected. It masquerades as an anti-virus programme called System Tool, and pops up a large window that pretends to scan your computer for viruses. (Here are some screenshots of what it looks like)
How do I get rid of it?
Luckily there are several very good and reliable guides on how to do this. We have listed them below, in order of ease of use and currency. They all require you to download free cleaning software. Don’t worry, these are the genuine article and not another scam.
http://www.spywarevoid.com/remove-system-tool-2011-systemtool-2011-removal-help.html
http://www.helpmyos.com/t2311-how-to-remove-system-tool-2011
http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=66064
There is some good-ish news
This isn’t a traditional virus or trojan, but rather a new brand of scam called “scareware” that tries to trick you into buying bogus anti-virus software and giving up your credit card details in the process. As long as you didn’t fall for the scam, and as long as you remove the bogus software using the instructions above, then there’s no need to fear any permanent damage or impairment to your computer’s security.
If you did give up your credit card details to this scam, please get in touch with us ASAP so that we can help you cancel your card and report this fraud.
How did this happen?
The M&G‘s site has, in the last few months, become a target for hackers. We are working hard to block all possible attacks, but unfortunately these particular hackers found an obscure loophole and exploited it for their nefarious purposes. We are obviously dismayed that our security was breached, and doubly so that you, our loyal readers, were adversely affected.
Please email me directly if you have any questions or concerns: [email protected]
Thanks for your understanding,
Alistair Fairweather (digital platforms manager, M&G Online)