[dickmc]

Boris Sharov, chief executive of the Moscow-based security Dr. Web says he learned Monday from the Russian Web registrar Reggi.ru that Apple had requested the registrar shut down one of its domains, which Apple said was being used as a “command and control” server for the hundreds of thousands of PCs infected with Flashback. In fact, that domain was one of three that Dr. Web has been using as a spoofed command and control server–what researchers call a “sinkhole”–to monitor the collection of hijacked machines and try to understand their behavior, the technique which allowed the firm to first report the size of Apple’s botnet last week.

[dickmc]

From the article...."In fact, Sharov says that since Dr. Web first contacted Apple to share its findings about the unprecedented Mac-based botnet, it hasn’t received a response. “We’ve given them all the data we have,” he says. “We’ve heard nothing from them until this.”"

[Mount Athos]

I think paranoia is warranted here.

Russians and Chinese develop all the most sophisticated viruses. Yes, a lot of it is stupidity by pranksters with egos, but at the top end with rootkits and botnets, I’m not so sure...

I think it’s a serious game with national security implications and if you think about it, they might be doing dry runs and live tests for more sophisticated versions they are keeping for a special occasion.

If there are government agencies behind some of the top virus, wouldn’t it make sense they would also want to measure its success and progress? No I wouldn’t trust this agency

[driftdiver]

gotta destroy the evidence

[TheBattman]

more than half a million Macs were infected with Flashback malware

This was never the case. These so-called "experts" took an uninformed guess... and WAY over-stated the case (by upwards of 90%).

[donozark]

I downloaded "Flashback Checker" from Github.com Easy/quick/free download.

Result? "No Infection Found."

I cannot find anyone I know who picked up this nasty on their Mac...

[Jonty30]

PC’s are very hard to infect with viruses now.

Just so you know.:)

[Swordmaker]

Apple has taken legal action to take down Doctor Web's sinkhole server... which so far is the only identified FLASHBACK server on the web—PING!

Mac users are notorious for complaining when something goes wrong. If there WERE a 600,000 member Macbot out there, the number of infected users would be all over the forums announcing their machines infected and asking for help in removing it. I have been diligently searching to tech and non-tech forums seeking users who are reporting that THEY have Macs that have been infected by this Flashback Trojan... and I am simply NOT seeing them saying they are using the tools provided and found their computers infected. Even on the Apple help forums, at the peak of the news, there were only 217 comments, most asking how do "I detect this?" and reports back about "My computer is clean!" The few that I have found are obvious non-Mac using trolls...

So, WHERE ARE THE INFECTED MACS? I am simply NOT FINDING THEM!

Do any of you Freeper Mac user's have it?

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[TheBattman]

So a company that supposedly specializes in computer security actually is the perpetrator in this attempt to attack Macs... at least that is what this all appears to boil down to. They have been caught red handed, Apple is trying to force a shutdown of the servers playing “host” to the attack attempts.

I still say Symantec, McAfee, and others have done similar... a good way to generate business (tinfoil hat is firmly in place).

And as I have read many articles on this supposed “widespread infection” - I have actually found no actual userland reports of said infection, but lots of paranoia.