Mac OS users need to be extra vigilant when surfing the web.

For the past couple of weeks, users have actually been tricked into going to a fake website embedded with malware that can freeze Apple Mac OS systems, inning accordance with a report this week by the cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes.

When users go to the site through their Safari browser, often by clicking a link in a fake email, they accidentally pack malicious code onto their computer systems. The malware then triggers either two sets of actions depending upon the version of the computer systems' OS, the report said.

In one case, the malware triggers the computer's Apple email customer to produce a deluge of draft e-mails which contain the words "Warning! Virus Detected!" in the e-mail subject line. Although the emails do not get actually get delivered to anybody, the unexpected flood of draft e-mails hogs the computer system's resources, thus triggering the computer system to freeze.

In the 2nd case, the malware causes the contaminated computer's iTunes program to open several times without near the point where it crashes.

In both of these cases, the malware essentially causes computers to consume all their memory, similar to how hackers release so-called denial-of-service attacks on web websites. In a denial-of-service attack, hackers basically overload an online service with Internet traffic, thus causing the service to end up being unattainable since it can't maintain.

Complicating matters, the malware targeting Apple computers leaves a dummy message in either the email draft or in the iTunes gamer that informs individuals to call a fake Apple assistance contact number to repair the problem. The report does not describe what occurs when a person calls, but it's most likely that crooks will charge a charge to unlock the computer under the false pretense that they are Apple employees.