The other day security analysts deemed the new Mac Leopard’s firewall insecure, especially since it is disabled out-of-the-box. Now things have gotten a bit worse for those Mac users who feel that their machine is not in need of any additional security software.
Give a warm welcome for the OSX.RSPlug.A Trojan Horse. Sure this isn’t the first virus for a Mac, but this one is pretty nasty and being distributed through porn sites. It poses as a video codec that needs to be installed before the viewer can proceed to watch the movie. The result, well, it’s not good:
This Trojan horse, a form of DNSChanger, uses a sophisticated method, via the scutil command, to change the Mac’s DNS server (the server that is used to look up the correspondences between domain names and IP addresses for web sites and other Internet services). When this new, malicious, DNS server is active, it hijacks some web requests, leading users to phishing web sites (for sites such as Ebay, PayPal and some banks), or simply to web pages displaying ads for other pornographic web sites.
Is it possible that the increasing popularity of the Mac Operating System has caused virus writers to target the OS more? If you’re a Mac user looking for a free antivirus solution there is ClamXav, which is based on one of the leading Linux antivirus applications.
Source: Intego [via Mashable]
Kudos to the How-To Geek for the tip!
It’s worth noting that this doesn’t exploit any OS X weakness. The user has to grant it administrative permissions (including entering the administrator password) before it can install itself.
Also, ClamAV-based anti-virus programs like ClamXav only do manual scans, so while it might clean up after OSX.RSPlug.A, it probably won’t stop you getting it to start with.
woot! the more mac virus action going on, the better, I say.
[quote]It’s worth noting that this doesn’t exploit any OS X weakness. The user has to grant it administrative permissions (including entering the administrator password) before it can install itself.[/quote]
Although this is definitely a good thing, a lot of viruses that people get aren’t due to OS weaknesses. I’ve been computing for about 14+ years, since I was around 10-12 years old, yet I have never gotten a virus. I consider myself extremely lucky — but I also consider myself an informed netizen. People will get viruses regardless whether it is Mac/Windows, and it will only get much worse for Mac’s, regardless of what the apple fanboyz might have you think.
Holy cow! 14 years without a virus?! I’ll admit that I’ve never had virus protection, but I have cleaned my system via a web based scanner before.
I have also noticed that the majority of viruses prey on people’s stupidity. I think I just need smarter friends (fucrate, you’re out).
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, as I could be totally off base, but technically, this is NOT a virus (nor a worm). It is a trojan horse. It does not replicate itself, as a virus or worm does.
Following some experts in Israel, who join some US specialized companies analyses in order to face a yet here near future, Macs OS Xs are to become more and more targetted by virus makers and all.
So in the next two years, products suits for survival shall be released on the Mac users market. Those products will not be avoidable for Mac users. Who are this way a double target now, in the same way Windows users are. This is a constatation.
Following Israel experts, who join US specialized companies, in a very next future Mac Os’es are going to be more and more targetted by virus makers and all. From a synthesis aricle (in “mico-imaso”, SKorea where I was some days ago), worlwide market analysts say Mc users are to become a new market target thus. Anti-virus, protection and privacy tools suits will not be avoidable for them. Mc users become this way a double target, as windows users it could be said.
Apple could loose a lot. It’s a constatation and a market reality, regarding Mc users behaviour, they say.
True. (There was an article on Ars Technica a while back to the effect that most infections are the fault of the user, not the OS – can’t find the link right now though.)
Macs are going to be targeted by malware more as their marketshare grows. There’s less to exploit, because OS X is built with holes ‘closed by default’ as opposed to largely ‘open by default’ on Windows. Unfortunately, because most users are quite happy to grant it privileges to malware, on-demand AV is now a necessity.
It is normally programs that the user runs that make the operating system weak, as rogoisu said. Well, that and a combination of the user’s ignorance.
Take it you’re not a big Mac user.
That’s true, and I mentioned that in the article. However a virus is often used as a general classification for malicious things on your computer.