Posted on 05/26/2011 2:21:53 AM PDT by Swordmaker
If I come across any Mac viruses on my virus-free Windows computer, I’ll let you know.
I think the virus writer’s have been studying the Apple’s software for a long time and know many hole’s that Apple isn’t aware of .
It’s going to be interesting.
How do the bad guys “make a fortune?” Isn’t this against the law? Can’t they be found?
They use automated programs called bots, which collect information from infected computers.
Many of those infected computers will have financial information, like bank accounts, credit cards, stocks and bonds, or anything else that you can think of that is defined as financial information.
If your computer gets infected, it will send that information to whomever is collecting it and they will proceed to raid bank accounts or use credit card information or even use insider trading information to get rich.
They can be caught, but it takes a lot of time and effort to go through IP addresses and hope the criminals didn’t have time to erase their tracks or be traced to a country like China, Iran, or Russia where they really can’t be touched.
In the end, it’s actually a positive development, because it forces Apple to take similar steps that Microsoft had to take to secure Windows.
If you are not now running as a Standard User, here is how to set up a new Administrator user (you will always need one in OSX) and change your current user to a Standard User, which is much safer:
You are now safe from this exploit.
Use your new administrator's name and password to install any software or to do system maintenance. You can install software from your Standard User account by providing that name and password for each instance. You will not be able to make changes to your system files, Libraries, Applications folders, or the HD root directory unless you provide that Administrator name and password.
Note, the administrator name and password will STILL not allow you to make changes to ROOT UNIX files or to alter any of the core files as the ROOT is not activated on the default OSX install... That requires one level higher user level even yet. However that administrator IS capable of activating ROOT by creating a ROOT superuser and creating a ROOT superuser password.
For information on how, who is at risk, and for SWORDMAKER'S INSTRUCTIONS on how to NOT TO NOT BE VULNERABLE TO THIS PROBLEM... This is a must read thread!
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Ahh, but Jonty30, the hole in question is social engineering. People are conditioned to pay attention to official-looking dialog boxes. The original version of this relied upon deceit, but nothing else.
One malware event may or may not open a door here. That door has been swinging in the wind, widely, for a very long time in the microsoft camp. I deal with it everyday in my professional life, on all three primary platforms. You’re right that Apple, as well as all other software manufacturers, needs to have a serious eye on security.
Largely, they have. What has changed here is that the number of macs has increased to the point where those malefactors writing viruses and malware now feel that they have another worthwhile target. That isn’t the same as saying that they didn’t have one before. All that really started with the Morris worm in 1988. And came to full fruition with windows years after that.
Whether this is a cottage industry now or not, I do agree with you that ALL makers of software need a generally better eye on security. I wouldn’t, however, and cannot, single out Apple alone. No mac in my district, and that’s a large number of thousands, has yet been infected. On the other hand, we do regularly see a need to clean one or another of the pcs. No big deal. No need to crow about it. It is a numbers game, ultimately. You may look at this as something which speaks well of recent Apple sales, if nothing else.
Ping for later reading.
Apple's online instructions on how to dispose of this malware are still effective... contrary to Bott's negative comment of "too little, too late!"
A recent phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them that their computer is infected with a virus. The user is then offered Mac Defender "anti-virus" software to solve the issue.
This “anti-virus” software is malware (i.e. malicious software). Its ultimate goal is to get the user's credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes.
The most common names for this malware are MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity.
In the coming days, Apple will deliver a Mac OS X software update that will automatically find and remove Mac Defender malware and its known variants. The update will also help protect users by providing an explicit warning if they download this malware.
In the meantime, the Resolution section below provides step-by-step instructions on how to avoid or manually remove this malware.
Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.6, Mac OS X 10.5
How to avoid installing this malware
If any notifications about viruses or security software appear, quit Safari or any other browser that you are using. If a normal attempt at quitting the browser doesn’t work, then Force Quit the browser.
In some cases, your browser may automatically download and launch the installer for this malicious software. If this happens, cancel the installation process; do not enter your administrator password. Delete the installer immediately using the steps below.
How to remove this malware
If the malware has been installed, we recommend the following actions:
Removal steps
Malware also installs a login item in your account in System Preferences. Removal of the login item is not necessary, but you can remove it by following the steps below.
Use the steps in the “How to avoid installing this malware” section above to remove the installer from the download location.
Note: Apple provides security updates for the Mac exclusively through Software Update and the Apple Support Downloads site. User should exercise caution any time they are asked to enter sensitive personal information online.
Oh, BS, Jonty. Windows was forced to take the steps that Apple took a long time ago to match the security of UNIX that was built into OSX from the first. Quit trying to rewrite history. Apple took those steps back in 2001 when it dumped Mac-OS9 and lower and even THAT was more secure than Windows was then. It's been Microsoft that has been playing catch up.
thank you for all this info.
I have been out of the loop with all this information.
First..how do you know if you have or don’t have a virus?
Do I understand it can only be accessed by downloading a bad program? Is there a way to be safe with these things? I dont download much other than the updates they tell me I need, is there a problem in this?
I will try to do the administer user change you suggested.
BTW. Hope things are going okay for you following the death.. you have been in my thoughts.
There are still zero viruses for the OSX Mac... this is a trojan horse application. Not the same thing. I dont download much other than the updates they tell me I need, is there a problem in this?
There is no problems with downloading and installing the updates from Apple... always use "Software Update..." from the Apple Menu on the Menu Bar. These updates from Apple are security signed and certified from Apple. Your system checks that and if they are NOT what they say they are it will stop the update dead in its tracks and warn you! Apple will NEVER notify you by a pop-up from a website that you need to click on something because they've found a problem.
I will try to do the administer user change you suggested.
Print out the Post and do them step by step and you should be fine... Then just continue Freeping as you've been Freeping and you be OK.
I'm doing fine. We buried my Mom's ashes with my Dad's on Monday with a nice family only ceremony. It was quite moving.
We had some good news to temper the passing of my mother: my older daughter gave us the news on mother's day that she is making us Grandparents! She knew before the passing of my mother and whispered it to her on her deathbed... and my Mom nodded and smiled, showing she understood... so she knew she was going to be a greatgrandmother before she died. That makes me happy.
We promised my daughter not to tell anyone until she passed her third trimester and that OK came down after the ceremony on Monday! The genetic counselors say everything is A-OK, too! YAY! She is due to deliver on December 7th.
So, since I run Firefox, not Safari, I shouldn't worry? (In any event, I'm not dumb enough to run an installer I didn't intentionally download, no matter how "official" looking it is.)
Honesty? I don't know.
bookmark
Bump for later. Thanks for the post.
And I'm sorry to hear of your loss. God's blessings.
It seems to me that if the Accounts Pane is locked, then you are done (not running as Admin), so skip all the rest of those steps.
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