Mac OS X threats

A new tactic to hide worms on a Mac:

The Register

Before you claim there is not virii or trojans on a Mac there is a major threat to people who use pirated iWorks :

MacWorld Article

This proves a point I made a few months ago Macs are started to be targetted for security vulnerabilities and that people should start locking their systems down. Whilst Stealth Worms/Virii are nothing new for Linux and PCs it is a major step forward for Black Hats in subverting a Mac system, especially if you have no or little third party security on it for detecting this. Call this a early wake up call...

This is not an attack on Mac OS X this is to make people aware of potential threats now and possibly in the future. 20,000 infections is quite a coup for such a small user base. The fact that the best method to remove the trojan is to format and re-install really does hammer the point home... You may say that using pirated software is their own fault but the fact remains most people *will* pirate software especially the younger 'Napster' generation.

Faolan wrote in post #7175928
You may say that using pirated software is their own fault

Yep

I'm about to pick up a mac shortly and coming from the pc world all I can say is, whats the big deal?

To quote the article:
"Intego’s VirusBarrier X4 and X5 will detect the Trojan horse, prevent it from installing in the first place, and remove the currently-known pieces of the Trojan horse if you’ve been infected."

Buy virus software. End of story.

Usually people who get viruses invite them in for a cup of coffee

It is a big deal because the Macs have been marketed as virus proof.

René Damkot wrote in post #7176591
Yep

+1.


Trojans are NOT the same as viruses, and no one claimed OS X is trojan proof. Any OS can have a trojan. If a user is willing to run an executable, and key in their Admin password, then its easy. They just allowed an application full access to their system.

The only way to prevent such a piece of software from doing real damage is to not allow the ignorant users Admin access. Of course, this can be done, and it will prevent Trojans from installing on OS X or Windows. But, on home machines, people still need a clue.

The good news about a trojan, it can't spread to other computers, even on the same network, unlike viruses. Its not a big deal. Well, maybe for the thief that tried to get free software. To them I say HaHa HaHa!

I say keep it a secret, and let more folks download/install stolen Works 09'. Oh, and I hate the word pirate, makes it sound glamorous. They're thieves, period. I praise the folks that put a trojan in the pirated copy!

Dan-o wrote in post #7178528
It is a big deal because the Macs have been marketed as virus proof.

thats not strictly true, nothing is virus proof.. its just having the measures in to counteract those threats as the develop.

plus its more the fact that there are more windows machines out there connected to the internet. as and when macs become more popular they will become more popular to target with malicious software.

The point I'm making is that many people don't run anti-malware on their Mac. Even if you don't pirate software but download a bit of software (or appears) from a legitimate site and that's infected how are you going to detect it?

What if a friend passes you a bit of software or files and that's infected how are you to know?

What if a trojan or virii infects all your files destroying them in the process? If you have no means of detecting it or it's stealthed you may end up backing up the malware without realising it.

My point is Mac owners can no longer afford to be complacent. We all know Windows XP is vulnerable (Vista is less so) so people are generally actively cautious, it's a lesson Mac owners have ignored so far but need to start paying attention to a lot of the same advice. Trust No One and Nothing.

Unfortunately, I think the days of macs lacking any kind of virus software may be coming to an end. Didn't apple even post something that said it was a good idea to have some kind of virus protection.....for like three hours, and then removed it.

As I understand though, its still quite difficult to infect a mac with a virus. Dont you need admin permission to execute the virus? Thats much harder than with a PC. This trojan is different because its embedded in the iwork installer file.

Ahhh they only release this stuff to prevent people from pirating....

You should have wrote:

"Arrr they only release this stuff to prevent people from pirating...."

Faolan wrote in post #7181860
What if a friend passes you a bit of software or files and that's infected how are you to know?

Protection from trojans is pretty simple. If you don't know the source, don't install it. If your friend is a software thief, don't share anything with him/her.

I have run PC's since the early 80's, and Macs the last several years. My PC/Macs have been connected to the internet 24/7 for over a decade. I have NEVER had a virus or trojan, and I never run anti-virus software. Its really not that hard.

And another HaHa to the thieves infected with the Works trojan! I hope they lost valuable personal data!

JC4 wrote in post #7182450
Protection from trojans is pretty simple. If you don't know the source, don't install it. If your friend is a software thief, don't share anything with him/her.

I have run PC's since the early 80's, and Macs the last several years. My PC/Macs have been connected to the internet 24/7 for over a decade. I have NEVER had a virus or trojan, and I never run anti-virus software. Its really not that hard.

And another HaHa to the thieves infected with the Works trojan! I hope they lost valuable personal data!

thats a little naive concidering there are trojans that spread within the autorun of USB devices. etc etc.

neil_g wrote in post #7183276
thats a little naive concidering there are trojans that spread within the autorun of USB devices. etc etc.

How's that? What's naive about the fact, I've never been infected with a virus/trojan/worm? Or is it naive for me to say it's not that hard? Apparently I've done something right, and it wasn't that hard.

I'm not pro-viruses/worms/trojans(​well except maybe when they're attached to stolen software). In fact I believe the authors should be held accountable for losses incurred by their creation. I'm just saying its not that hard to avoid them. Not participating in criminal activity is the simplest way to avoid a very large percentage of the malicious software. But, I do find Karma funny, so let the thieves be crushed by the occasional trojan.

not installing AV purely because you dont install hooky software is a touch naive as like i say even the most innocent of actions like plugging in a USB device potentially could see you infected.

becides, how do you know youve never had a virus etc if you dont have AV installed..