Apple fights hundreds of thousands of virus-controlled Macs

Apple fights hundreds of thousands of virus-controlled Macs
By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, April 5, 2012 9:42 EDT -- The Raw Story


Apple has apparently acknowledged a problem with their operating system.

They have released a patches this week for their OS X 2012 and 10.6 operating systems.

A Russian security firm has claimed that 600,000 or so Apple computers have been
enslaved into some kind of botnet operated by criminals !!

Computer giant Apple released a patch this week for its OS X 2012 and 10.6 operating systems about the same time a Russian security company claimed that up to 600,000 Mac computers around the world are being controlled by a piece of malware that sucks targeted computers into a “botnet,” or a makeshift network of computers controlled by cyber-criminals.

Most Mac users are not well-versed in the trials of cyber security, with many having been lulled into a false sense of safety because the Mac platform’s smaller market-share makes it a less favorable target for hackers. But security company Dr. Web said this week that Mac users are becoming more frequent targets for identity theft and other cyber crime, and that one new piece of malware in particular is becoming a grave concern.

Dr. Web used a tactic known as “sinkholing” to trick the criminal network into sending signals to computers at the company’s security center, where technicians were able to monitor the botnet and count how many computers were part of it. They later claimed to have detected over 600,000 Mac computers participating in the criminal enterprise thanks to a Java exploit called BackDoor.Flashback.39

Sounds like the Apples are falling off the trees and hitting all the branches on the way down

Good news just the same ....

reply to post by xuenchen

Well I am glad I am still using version 10.5.8! I hope I do not have to upgrade. 600,000...wow! Did anyone here get it? What are the symptoms? What sites are responsible for infection?
Still love my Mac though...

spec

ETA: How can we check to see if it is in our system?

reply to post by xuenchen


It's funny because Mac users always say PC sucks because its vulnerable to viruses while the Mac is not. I always thought the reasons there were no Mac viruses is because most people use PC, therefore making it a more popular option to attack. That said, if a program writer wanted to attack the Mac and write a new form of malware they can with ease. There is nothing special about the Mac that makes it invulnerable to a virus.

how do you tell if your mac is infected...

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


being on such an older version you're probably hitting the sort of target that they like...cant/wont upgrade but with years of you're immune to every virus around being told o you so you wont have any form of antivirus

It's show time......

reply to post by Thisbseth


Rotten apples smell

Get a linux box

Heres how you can check.
Just checked mine and it was clean.

www.f-secure.com...

Heres the story that links to the instructions

arstechnica.com... campaign=rss

I haven't updated my Iphone in ages..

reply to post by gandhi


This is a mac virus.
iPhone users need not apply.

that should wipe the smug face off some of the mac users I know who gloat about such things - it was only a matter of time.

Looks like the Antivirus companys can expand their market.

Was just a question of time...

If you have come across this virus, you may have experienced the administrator password box with little or no reason while accessing the web. As long as you didn't enter your password you should probably not have anything to worry about. But don't take my word for it, check and make sure.

I think one time a few months ago this box popped up for seemingly no reason. So I just closed it.

Make sure to do the software update after you have checked for and or removed the virus to prevent from future attacks.

reply to post by digitalf


Don't be jealous.

Originally posted by Mianeye
Looks like the Antivirus companys can expand their market.

Was just a question of time...

Yep.

They finally cut The Gordian Knot.

but.... Apple IS a virus.

reply to post by xuenchen


Hmmmm......my mac has been acting a lot slower on the internet the past 3-4 days.

4 days ago google decided to stop supporting OSX 10.4 = Tiger ( 2007 Macbook pro ) which is what I still use.

It's basically the XP of Mac's IMO, so I have no reason to change even though it's barely supported anywhere anymore.

But since then, my comp has been getting the spinny color wheel of death thing more often when I'm online and taking about twice as long to boot up......Even after deleting 15 apps and 3.5 gigs off my HD..


I thought something was up...

O and apple doesn't support 10.4 anymore so I don't get a security patch update....= no fun.

O well, the only thing I really NEED this for is making music. Everything else is bonus.

Haha i almost upgraded too... Im stayin where im at unil my mac dies, manymany moons from now...

link to tell if you have it hope it helps

You can fix this easily by downloading a Linux distro and replacing your smug kitty OS. Doesn't matter if its running an X86 CPU or a PowerPC CPU there are distros for both.