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Paradise Lost: Malware Targets Macs

pcworld.com — With researchers reporting the first Macintosh-specific malware to be found "in the wild" on the Internet, Mac users want to know what to do.

Who dugg this? Made popular Apr 23, 2009

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  • Red989, on 04/22/2009, -23/+112Everyone that uses a Mac PLEASE read this.
    You are NOT invulnerable to viruses and malware, so you still have to watch what you click
  • aclements, on 04/23/2009, -9/+67Funny how no one here has mentioned that you have to enter an administrator password to install the thing... It's not like it contacts the malware by just sitting around on the internet like a Windows box can. I'm not saying this won't be a problem in the future, but I have yet to see an attack against OS X that works without the wetware initiating the problem.
  • onestep, on 04/23/2009, -6/+57Give me a break. This is not a virus. It's a trojan, and you have to download a pirated copy of iWork to get infected by it. This is OLD news... I can't even believe this has surfaced again.
  • RoroCo, on 04/22/2009, -21/+71Funny... Many Mac users would love a bigger market share in the industry (to increase the size of the cult I guess). They just don't realize that a larger market share means that they also become a larger target too... Be careful what you wish for.
  • dvsbastard, on 04/23/2009, -1/+45User stupidity is not limited to any particular platform...
  • Drahkir, on 04/23/2009, -7/+43I've never met a Mac user that complains that there aren't enough Mac users. If anything, they like feeling like they're in an exclusive club.
  • Khast, on 04/22/2009, -8/+44The article is written very well, and seems informative.

    Although, I think this is old news, wasn't the iBotNet discovered last year?

    Anyways, if the Apple marketshare keeps increasing, I would advise keeping an eye on news like this, as viruses would run rampant with the lack of anti-virus software. (And cocky users who think they are immune.)
  • Drahkir, on 04/23/2009, -2/+36No system is invulnerable. The most die hard Mac fans I know will even concede to that. The only truly secure computer is the one that isn't plugged in. That being said, there are still far (and I mean FAR) more viruses in the wild attacking Windows than Mac OS or Linux.
  • jfulls, on 04/23/2009, -8/+36I like OS X, and I dislike Windows. I'm not overpaying, I just happen to prefer an operating system that's more expensive.

    It's worth it to me. I'm not paying for a shiny light up apple to flaunt around, it sits against my office wall all day.
  • hawkdude56, on 04/23/2009, -12/+39Good read, being a Mac user. I knew I wasn't immune, I'll just maintain the same level of care that I exercised before by not downloading pirated software.

    Unfortunately, these comments will just become a forum for a Mac hate-fest, but that's understandable when a lot of them are cocky pricks.
  • mactarkus, on 04/23/2009, -2/+29Yes, be very careful when you're downloading pirated copies of software. You would hate to get some malware by mistake. Make sure all of your pirated software comes from reputable sites so that you're certain it is ok, or you could just buy software.
  • damonic, on 04/23/2009, -2/+28No computer system is safe from malware but the basic security in OSX prevents malicious software from changing system files without the admin password. If you give up your password without knowing what you are doing, you deserve to get infected. On ANY OS.
  • Laughto, on 04/23/2009, -9/+31Bla bla bla 'stupid mac users'. Has it ever occurred to anyone in this thread that the mac being virus free so far is just a happy fact and not something they've ever considered worth holding over anyone else? for most people a choice of os is a matter of personal taste, not a grand statement about which side you're joining in a war. you are not married to the product you buy. and if your pride hinges on your choices as a consumer then please, get help.
  • inactive, on 04/23/2009, -2/+23So if you download a dodgy program you can get infected? That works for any OS, MAC is no exception. That is the whole issue with propietory software in Linux. Nobody can know exactly what it does and that is a security risk..
  • matt.rubin, on 04/23/2009, -2/+22Every mac virus is the first mac virus.
  • eldridgea, on 04/23/2009, -0/+20OS 9 had way *less* market share than OS X, and it had a ton of viruses.
    OS X is (arguably) approaching 10% market share and still has way less viruses.

    It's not that OS X is impervious, it's just *more* impervious.
  • Dauntless1, on 04/23/2009, -1/+19PROTIP
    People who believe commercials aren't smart enough to safely surf the internet. Safe surfing has an intelligence requirement.
  • BashiBazouk, on 04/23/2009, -2/+18Old news. It's a trojan not a virus. Any OS can get one. This is not the first to hit osx. There is one in the CS4 suite floating around P2P...

    Though for this sort of thing I would love a scanner I could run files from questionable sources through before I install/use, but that would be true if I ran Windows, Linux or any other OS.
  • RoroCo, on 04/22/2009, -21/+36I doubt most of them will listen... To a lot of Mac users, OSX is a way of life... and not just basic operating code with pretty window dressing.
  • themastersb, on 04/23/2009, -4/+18It's only $500 more... well it used to be. I've noticed that they're starting to step up their game with newer models so that it's only $300 more.
  • Auzy, on 04/23/2009, -2/+16Also, they should ensure they install updates. When I was working customer support for mac's, I noticed many people rarely installed updates (including security updates).
  • nerd05, on 04/23/2009, -1/+15And if I'm not mistaken, it needs escalated privileges to run, meaning an admin password has to be entered.
  • drivingalone, on 04/23/2009, -3/+17Not even a single Milton quote? Why bother with the reference?
  • Matt2k, on 04/23/2009, -4/+18That's pretty much how a Vista system works. My kids get prompted for an administrative password the minute they try to change or install about anything significant. Even some older games don't work without it.
  • jamminman, on 04/23/2009, -2/+15I don't understand why he's being dugg down... any internet flamewar, whether its over operating systems or game consoles, is ALWAYS pointless. Mac users use macs because they like Macs better. Windows users use Windows because they like Windows better. Linux users use Linux cause they want to be 'internet badass'.
  • tidu, on 04/23/2009, -5/+18This a perfectly reasoned statement, so I don't understand why it's being dugg down. Do you guys make fun of luxury car drivers too? They're essentially getting a vehicle to drive from A to B. I might look nicer, but it still breaks, is built the same as a normal car, and costs more, partially for the status that comes with a luxury car. Stop kidding yourselves, guys.
  • MoWater, on 04/23/2009, -0/+12Reading the article, you have to install a pirated copy of iWork, so like Linux/Windows/any OS, know your source of application. If you don't trust where its coming from, don't install it. Duh!
  • Coottie, on 04/23/2009, -4/+16Wait....so you have to d/l a cracked copy of iWork to get the virus and it doesn't spread from computer to computer....so what's the big ***** deal? You don't want the virus, don't do illegal *****. Problem solved.

    Damn, I'm a PC lover and here I thought there was a serious threat to the mac world. I was already planning my, "HAHA told ya so" email to my mac loving friends. Turns out that the headlines don't match reality......again.
  • PhillyMJS, on 04/23/2009, -2/+13Oh, please. Even the antivirus software vendors are pooh-poohing this one, and those guys love to shriek doom and gloom in an attempt to scare Mac users into buying their products.
  • Macintoshreader, on 04/23/2009, -6/+17Buried for BS. The "malware infected" version of iWork is not in the internets anymore for download.

    Apart from that, they incorrectly state that Macs don't have much malware because of it's "tiny" (how is 8% "tiny"?) market share. Linux has only 1% market share, yet it has 863 viruses. You might want to explain that.

    They've been saying that we should be protected FOR YEARS (since OS X had 3.2% market share) and nothing at all has happened.
  • eatporktoo, on 04/23/2009, -10/+20I am a Windows/Linux fanboy... There I admitted it... anyway

    I have read these before and got all excited only to find out that Microsoft was feeding the press the story... Just saying, take it with a grain of salt until we get confirmation
  • srs2000, on 04/23/2009, -0/+10Funny.. a decade of pirating and zero viruses. I run a scan about every 6 months.

    Where has every problem I have seen come from? Websites with scripts exploiting vulnerabilities in the browser. People downloading software they assume is legit. Email. Other "trusted" sources.
  • Sithlrd, on 04/23/2009, -1/+10If you click on something on the interwebs and it asks for your password and YOU GIVE IT then your stupid ass deserves the "malware" that you get on your Mac.

    Buried for inaccuracy. Smart Mac users are still immune... just like every other intelligent computer user.
  • jamminman, on 04/23/2009, -1/+10most windows users never update either... we're the minority here.
  • noahco, on 04/23/2009, -8/+17But that's not what the commercials say!!
  • chongli, on 04/23/2009, -1/+9This is a bunch of *****. The only way to keep a computer safe from malware is to unplug it and not use it. When the user is given the power to run code on the computer, the computer becomes vulnerable.

    It's simply impossible for anyone to audit all of the software that is run on a computer. Apple may be attempting this with the iPhone app store (which uses digitally signed binaries) but jailbroken phones prove their efforts fruitless.
  • waterboy1628, on 04/23/2009, -7/+15i have been hearing this for years.
    don't pirate software, and there is a slim chance you will get "malware."
  • webweave, on 04/23/2009, -1/+8Why don't you read it, its not a virus. You have to be downloading counterfeit applications and then you have to run them. It does not download on its own and it does not run on its own. And even then it only runs with the permission of the user. If you want to download and run stolen software I suggest that you don't but according to the "exploit" in the article you would be safe if you had created a new user for just this purpose. Then if you found it was running comprised software you could delete the whole thing by removing the user. Wow I guess you need some pretty fancy anti-virus software for doing this.
  • molotovcat, on 04/23/2009, -0/+7 And it's still not an issue. There have been many instances of OS X malware in the past, but none have ever propagated. This article is just stating the obvious. The people that believe that OS X is some magical OS wont listen to logic.
  • jfulls, on 04/23/2009, -2/+9It is subjective - I'm not ignorant of the fact that the hardware would cost less elsewhere. I wasn't born with an apple in my lap, I've used Windows in the past. The fact is, to some people, the computer is worth the price.

    The concept applies to virtually every product out there, like tidu said about luxury cars. Really, unless everything in your house is non-brand-name, you shouldn't really be saying anything about it at all.
  • lead2thehead, on 04/23/2009, -0/+7It's not a virus if you have to explicitly run it, bring up the install wizard and type the admin password. I could write a malicious script called run_me_as_root.sh and email it to you, but it's not a virus.
  • macinit1138, on 04/23/2009, -4/+11I believe Windows malware is growing 500% per month. Spybot's catalog of malware is up to over 524,000 not counting the 100,000's of viruses in the wild.

    Gotta laugh when they try to paint Apple's OSX as vulnerable as something from Redmond. lol
  • PhillyMJS, on 04/23/2009, -10/+17I can't speak for everyone, but to answer your question I'm well-paid to fix Windows ***** all day long. I don't want to have to do it on my own time. In my opinion, that alone is worth paying the extra money for a computer that can run OS X. And since fixing Windows ***** is a lucrative gig, I can afford it.
  • bigbadboston, on 04/23/2009, -9/+16in Mac OS, you only get asked for the password when some serious ***** is about to happen... this creates the expectation in the user's mind that you won't have to input a password three times a day - it never becomes a habit, but instead, it becomes a moment of pause.

    the user gets the password prompt and reflects on what's about to happen and why it's happening. like aclements said, the known attacks against OS X depend on a wetware failure, and Apple's judicious design of >when< to ask for the password has made the wetware wary of the wicked malware.

    the OS actually helps the user build healthy computing habits... how about that...
  • Exasperated, on 04/23/2009, -2/+8It's always amusing to watch the PC weenies wet themselves whenever some confused ZD hack thinks he's found a Mac virus. The fact of the matter is that no OS can protect itself from a clueless user who deliberately and explicitly gives a malicious program superuser privileges. A Mac will not be infected without such collusion, unlike a Windows PC.
  • mohrt, on 04/23/2009, -4/+10With BSD under the hood it's a bit tougher to get virus/malware through unnoticed, but certainly possible. OTOH, I have an XP system that's been running for years with no virus/malware problems, and no protection either (not even XP firewall.) You just need to be mindful of what you are doing. And avoid IE/Outlook like the plague.
  • venomoushealer, on 04/23/2009, -3/+8"Envious little *****"? Why would I be envious? Its not like only certain people can buy Macs...anyone with enough money can.

    "bare your burden that is Windblows." right. One of the reasons that I've never considered getting a Mac is because of the "burden" of compatibility. Obviously this is changing fast. But Steam doesn't run on OSX without some program to help (forgive me for not know the name of it...)

    Also. Learn what you're talking about before you speak.
  • webweave, on 04/23/2009, -0/+5The exploit is social engineering and not a fault of the software. Anyone who does not download stolen software AND THEN runs it is safe.
  • dext3r, on 04/23/2009, -0/+5I don't care who uses what, but I do actually prefer the smaller market share as far as security goes. I don't give a ***** about the "Cult of Mac". lately im in windows 50% of the time for gaming anyways, so I'm vulnerable there anyways.
  • Calcularius, on 04/23/2009, -19/+24Here is the clear and succint difference between Mac malware and Windows malware:

    Mac malware can only get on your machine if you download it and install it yourself.

    Windows malware can get on your machine by turning it on and having an internet connection.

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