Microsoft says it's found evidence of a link between the fake security software now plaguing Mac users and a family of similar software on Windows, reports "Computerworld" (http://macte.ch/8yGII). Earlier this month researchers announced the discovery of a Mac-specific scam that claims the machine is heavily infected.

Once installed, the software nags users with pop-ups and fake alerts until cave and pay a fee to purchase the worthless program, notes "Computeworld." To get rid of the program's alerts -- and the occasional pornographic page that pops up in the browser, a new twist intended to make victims think their computers have been hijacked -- many Mac owners pay the $79.50 "registration fee" for the scamware, the article adds.

The bogus program is apparently the first security software scam on the Mac. Engineers who work for the Microsoft Malware Protection Center (MMPC) told "Computerworld" that users who visit a Web page posing as a free online virus scanner get served either Mac or Windows scareware.