Mac Attack!

[Rico]

Watch out Mac users.

For years, Mac users have long been rightfully smug about their platform's relative immunity to virus and malware attacks, but it's inevitable that those days will eventually come to an end. (As the Mac gains in popularity, it also earns more attention from malware developers, and it's this lack of malware being actively developed, not some special, inherent security, that have really kept the Mac a "safe" platform for the time being.)

Now we're seeing one of the first moderately-sized exploits to take advantage of Mac users. The iServices.A Trojan horse is an attack being distributed via BitTorrent, where it's disguised as a bootleg copy of the new iWork 09. Once installed, the malware takes administrator access and connects to remote servers over the Internet, where it can be given additional instructions as the author commands, from installing additional malware to stealing information off the Mac in question. The malware creator can also take complete remote control of any compromised machine.

Security firm Intego said that just 20,000 machines had been infected as of January 21 but that the risk of ongoing infection was "serious, and users may face extremely serious consequences" if they are stricken with the malware.

Mac users are suggested to use common sense -- that is, don't try to download and installed pirated software -- and to update any antivirus definitions immediately. If you're a Mac user and aren't using security software, well, this might be a good time to start.

As well, if you've been hit by this piece of malware, a removal tool is available below. (Please note: I have not tested it.)

http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Ai1DGpAcOLkZLjeSlgQvhMfxMJA5/SIG=12a6fu3c2/**http%3A//macscan.securemac.com/files/iWorkServicesTrojanRemovalTool.dmg

[Bryancd]

Yep, this has been a looming issue as Mac PC share grows and even more so now with iPhone and it's operating system.

[Jen]

I wonder which version of Apple computer is most vulnerable. The one with the Pentium processor or the one with the Intel processor? Or maybe both. It was bound to happen one day.

[Dangelus]

I heard that Apples are most prone to worms.



Sorry, couldn't resist....    ::)

[Bryancd]

I wonder which version of Apple computer is most vulnerable. The one with the Pentium processor or the one with the Intel processor? Or maybe both. It was bound to happen one day.

Do you mean the older Motorolla chip set vs. the Intel one, Jen?

[Jen]

I don't know... I have a PowerPC 7450 processor in my old G4. The PowerPC G4 includes the AltiVec "Velocity Engine" vector processor. ... whatever that means. :D

[Rico]

If you read the above it looks like it only happens if you try to get yourself a bootleg copy of iWork09.

[Jen]

If you read the above it looks like it only happens if you try to get yourself a bootleg copy of iWork09.

Yes. I saw that. :)  But I'm wondering if all the Macs (old and new) who grab pirated software are vulnerable to this worm or just new Macs that share the same processors that PCs do. This has been a worry of Mac owners because we can now use Windows Vista on our machines and that opens us up to viruses that are designed for PCs. I'm wondering if this worm was designed for all Macs or if it's just the new ones with the Intel chips.

[Dangelus]

I would say that it is designed to attack Mac OSX regardless of the platform it is running on. It is coded to the operating system. The same way a windows virus might attack a copy of Windows XP running in virtual machine on a Linux system.

[Rico]

I agree with Dangelus.  It goes after the OS - regardless of your processor.  Almost every piece of malware and virus code out there goes after software.  It's a very rare few that can attack something hardware related or even make a distinction.  They want these things to go as far as possible.

[Jen]

Thank you both for your input. :) Viruses have never been my forte, but apparently I will have to learn more about them.