Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Anthony Spadafora

I put Apple’s new macOS ClickFix warnings to the test and they actually worked — now I want them on Windows too

A picture of Apple's new warning message that pops-up when you try to paste into Terminal on macOS 26.4 on a MacBook Pro on a kitchen table.

Instead of waiting for you to download a bad app or a malicious file, hackers have spent the last two years tricking unsuspecting users into infecting their own computers with malware. Known as ClickFix, this tactic is now widely used by both hackers and scammers but with its new macOS Tahoe 26.4 update, Apple has implemented a way to warn potential victims before it’s too late.

Although it was first used to target Windows devices, this social engineering technique was later tweaked to go after Macs too. Just like with other attacks, it starts with lure and in this case, that’s a fix to a common computer problem. Whether it be a microphone that isn’t working before a video call or a connection error that’s slowing down your internet, everyone wants a quick fix to their problems and that’s exactly what the hackers leveraging this technique gave them, albeit with a twist.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.