Alarmed about botnet trojan, Apple releases update for Macs
As Apple grows, so will the number of viruses that can affect it systems. Today, it issued a Java update to keep one of these viruses, the Flashback trojan, at bay.
Flashback is a type of malware that is transferred to your computer by masquerading as a safe browser plug-in. When a person goes to an infected website housing the malware, he will be prompted to download a plugin, such as flash, in order to view content. Giving permission allows the malware to execute and download to your computer. Evolved versions of the virus use a hole in Apple’s version of Java to download to your Mac immediately after you open the webpage
Russian antivirus vendor Doctor Web estimates up to 550,000 Macs have been infected thus far, over half of which are located in the United States.
“There has been a significant increase in Mac malware in the last several quarters, so what we’ve seen with the Flashback Trojan isn’t particularly surprising,” said Dave Marcus, director of advanced research and threat intelligence at McAfee Labs, in an e-mail to VentureBeat. “As the popularity of Macs increase, so will attacks on the Mac platform. Users should always take the proper precautions to protect themselves by ensuring that their security software in-up-to-date and all Apple patches are up-to-date.”
Apple latest update to Java patches that hole, and closes the malware’s ability to easily get in. But like most malware, the writers will be able to find a new vulnerability and exploit it. Cnet makes the point that Apple does not use Java’s public versions, but rather has its own version. This hole had been patched by Java in February, where Apple’s version took until now to fix.
How to detect and remove...
Mac Flashback malware: What it is and how to get rid of it (FAQ)
probably nothing to worry about cuz Apple fanboys told me macs can't get virus etc
As Apple grows, so will the number of viruses that can affect it systems. Today, it issued a Java update to keep one of these viruses, the Flashback trojan, at bay.
Flashback is a type of malware that is transferred to your computer by masquerading as a safe browser plug-in. When a person goes to an infected website housing the malware, he will be prompted to download a plugin, such as flash, in order to view content. Giving permission allows the malware to execute and download to your computer. Evolved versions of the virus use a hole in Apple’s version of Java to download to your Mac immediately after you open the webpage
Russian antivirus vendor Doctor Web estimates up to 550,000 Macs have been infected thus far, over half of which are located in the United States.
“There has been a significant increase in Mac malware in the last several quarters, so what we’ve seen with the Flashback Trojan isn’t particularly surprising,” said Dave Marcus, director of advanced research and threat intelligence at McAfee Labs, in an e-mail to VentureBeat. “As the popularity of Macs increase, so will attacks on the Mac platform. Users should always take the proper precautions to protect themselves by ensuring that their security software in-up-to-date and all Apple patches are up-to-date.”
Apple latest update to Java patches that hole, and closes the malware’s ability to easily get in. But like most malware, the writers will be able to find a new vulnerability and exploit it. Cnet makes the point that Apple does not use Java’s public versions, but rather has its own version. This hole had been patched by Java in February, where Apple’s version took until now to fix.
How to detect and remove...
Mac Flashback malware: What it is and how to get rid of it (FAQ)
probably nothing to worry about cuz Apple fanboys told me macs can't get virus etc
