Macs Can Get Viruses?

[Lewdog]

[quote]
[url="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AjfJ.kfURF_H.ib6haBcIPf99XQA;_ylu=X3oDMTFmaGtwZmpuBG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIEhlYWQEcG9zAzEEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUhlYWRUZW1w;_ylg=X3oDMTJ0dWZmMGtjBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDZWE2MzlmNzAtOTEyZS0zMGY2LTg4ZWYtZjdiNTE2NjRiOWUwBHBzdGNhdAN0ZWNoBHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=0/SIG=11c5d24gl/EXP=1334853217/**http%3A//www.mashable.com/"][img]http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/l84a32vKSuatKku.yyFq_A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9Zml0O2g9Mjc-/http://media.zenfs.com/208/2011/07/26/mashable-logo-147x27_200613.gif[/img][/url]By Todd Wasserman | Mashable – 7 hrs ago



A Russian antivirus company claims that some 600,000 [url="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/mac"]Macs[/url] -- most in the U.S. and Canada -- are infected with a trojan horse virus called "Flashback."
The company, Dr. Web, issued a [url="http://news.drweb.com/show/?i=2341"]report[/url] on Wednesday that claimed 550,000 computers running Mac OSX were subject to Flashback. Later, Sorokin Ivan, an analyst at Dr. Web, sent a [url="https://twitter.com/#%21/hexminer/status/187623741273026562"]tweet[/url] upgrading the figure to 600,000 and added that 274 were based in Cupertino, Calif., Apple's hometown. Fifty-seven percent of all Macs affected are in the U.S., while another 20% are based in Canada, according to the company.
[More from Mashable: [url="http://mashable.com/2012/04/04/ipad-oyster-retina/"]How One App Used the iPad’s Retina Display to Increase Downloads 10x[/url]]
Flashback was [url="http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20111639-263/another-os-x-trojan-imitates-adobe-flash-installer/?tag=mncol;txt"]originally discovered[/url] in September 2011 and was designed to disguise itself as an Adobe Flash Player installer, using Flash player logos. After installing Flashback, the malware seeks out user names and passwords that are stored on your Mac.
The resurgence of Flashback appears to take advantage of Java runtime for OSX. Apple issued a patch this week though it didn't mention Flashback by name. The patch is available for [url="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1516"]OSX 10.6 and 10.7[/url] as well as for [url="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1515"]OSX Lion 2012-001[/url].
[More from Mashable: [url="http://mashable.com/2012/04/03/iphone-case-helps-players-play-safely/"]iPhone Case Helps Players Play Safely[/url]]
The attack comes after Apple continues to position OS X as a more secure alternative to Windows. "A Mac isn’t susceptible to the thousands of viruses plaguing Windows-based computers," reads a message on Apple's homepage. "That’s thanks to built-in defenses in Mac OS X that keep you safe, without any work on your part."
[i]Image courtesy of Flickr, [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/afagen/6910438691/"]Adam Fagen[/url].[/i]
This story originally published on Mashable [url="http://mashable.com/2012/04/05/600000-macs-flashback/"]here[/url].[/quote]



http://news.yahoo.com/more-600-000-macs-infected-flashback-malware-report-091608469.html

Everyone always talks about how Macs are so awesome because they can't get viruses, is this true?

[|Lucid|]

[quote name='Lewdog' timestamp='1333644497' post='1115815']

[url="http://news.yahoo.com/more-600-000-macs-infected-flashback-malware-report-091608469.html"]http://news.yahoo.co...-091608469.html[/url]

Everyone always talks about how Macs are so awesome because they can't get viruses, is this true?
[/quote]

Any operating system can get a virus, so long as it is written for it.. The vast majority of virus's are written for PC's for various reasons, mostly due to the ease of developing for a windows environment and the saturation of windows in the business world.

[-GoBengals-]

pretty simple rules to not getting a virus on mac.

only install updates from the software update option under apple icon, or from the software site itself)ie: flash site)

and you will never get a virus ever.... basically...

of course the same could be said for any OS, but many pc folks ahve auto update on and click on shady shit...

but yea... anything can get viruses...

[mongo]

What's crazy is how persnickety that virus is. If you download it, it looks for things like Little Snitch, ClamXav, and other watchdog apps. It also looks for Microsoft Office and some non-watchdog apps. If it finds any of them, it deletes itself. The antivirus and firewall stuff makes a little sense, but Microsoft Office is a weird one.

[Vol_Bengal]

[quote name='Lucid' timestamp='1333645500' post='1115824']

Any operating system can get a virus, so long as it is written for it.. The vast majority of virus's are written for PC's for various reasons, mostly due to the ease of developing for a windows environment and the saturation of windows in the business world.
[/quote]

This.

Its all about percentage chances of successfully spreading it. If you are going to write to a platform and 80% (or whatever it is now) of the users in private and business are on one OS and the balance are spread amongst Mac, Unix, VMS, et al you're going to write toward that common 80%. Just like if your intention was to use a bomb and wipe out the largest number of people you could - you'd look for the most densely populated area you could find. Your percentages increase. As Mac becomes more of a player in the computer market you're seeing more and more virus activity being written toward them.

[Jamie_B]

A Mac virus hacks into your Starbucks membership card and deletes all you Starbucks Awards points.

[-GoBengals-]

and as high as 600k sounds, apple has sold an average of 10 million computers a year for the last 5 years. so even if those are the only ones still in use(unlikely), 600k of 50,000,000 million is 6 out of every 500,000, 8 in almost 85,000 mac users.

and if we are counting malware/spyware stuff in the virus category, which seems we are looking at that report. i would guess over 50% of windows users have one or the other, even with antivirus installed. especially those torrenting and watching porn on free porn sites... which is like 115%

[|Montana Bengal|]

http://allthingsd.com/20120406/whats-this-a-mac-virus-no-actually-its-a-weakness-in-java/?mod=atdtweet

Sounds like it was an issue with Java

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Montana Bengal' timestamp='1333748586' post='1116364']
[url="http://allthingsd.com/20120406/whats-this-a-mac-virus-no-actually-its-a-weakness-in-java/?mod=atdtweet"]http://allthingsd.co...a/?mod=atdtweet[/url]

Sounds like it was an issue with Java
[/quote]

probably why apple release two java updates in the last week..

[|Elflocko|]

[quote name='Vol_Bengal' timestamp='1333717818' post='1116103']

This.

Its all about percentage chances of successfully spreading it. If you are going to write to a platform and 80% (or whatever it is now) of the users in private and business are on one OS and the balance are spread amongst Mac, Unix, VMS, et al you're going to write toward that common 80%. Just like if your intention was to use a bomb and wipe out the largest number of people you could - you'd look for the most densely populated area you could find. Your percentages increase. As Mac becomes more of a player in the computer market you're seeing more and more virus activity being written toward them.
[/quote]

The size of the target is definitely a factor. That and the homogenous nature of the Windows OS; backward compatibility can be a dual-edged bitch.

There is also, however, the fact that *NIX based operating systems are by nature harder to compromise than their Windows counterparts, even taking (idiot) end-user interaction into account...

[Vol_Bengal]

[quote name='Elflocko' timestamp='1333770452' post='1116462']

The size of the target is definitely a factor. That and the homogenous nature of the Windows OS; backward compatibility can be a dual-edged bitch.

There is also, however, the fact that *NIX based operating systems are by nature harder to compromise than their Windows counterparts, even taking (idiot) end-user interaction into account...
[/quote]

Sure they are... just like it is hard to put a virus on a VMS OS...

My only point was that with the recent trending of the Mac computer / laptops the influx of viruses has risen exponentially for them. Writing viruses for them didn't get easier - the only thing that has changed is the potential infected pool.

[Jamie_B]

[b] [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/one-in-every-five-macs-carries-malware-report-says/2012/04/24/gIQA6UfKeT_story.html"]http://www.washingto...fKeT_story.html[/url][/b]



[b] [size=4] One in every five Macs carries malware, report says[/size][/b]


[size=4][url="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-in-every-five-mac-computers-harbors-malware-sophos-research-reveals-2012-04-24"]New research from the security firm Sophos[/url][/size][left][size=4]draws attention to a malware threat that likely never crosses most people’s minds: The study asserts that one in every five Macs has Windows malware, which can be passed on to other computers.[/size][/left][left][size=4][color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif]In fact, Mac users are seven times more likely to have Windows malware on their computers than Mac malware. According to the study, only one in 36 Mac users were found to be carrying viruses, spyware or Trojans intended for Mac OS X. But even if Mac users don’t see the bad effects of a Windows virus, they risk passing on the malware to Windows users through shared documents, thumb drives, e-mails and other means, which is probably how Mac users acquire Windows viruses in the first place.[/font][/color][/size]

[/left][left][size=4][color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif]Sophos conducted the study by looking at data gathered from 100,000 users of its own Mac antivirus program. Some of the malware found dated back to 2007, the company said, indicating that many Mac users rarely, if ever, run regular scans for bad software.[/font][/color][/size]


[/left][left][size=4][color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif]And for many years, it seemed they didn’t have to run scans. But as Macs gain market share, more thieves are targeting that base, the security firm said.[/font][/color][/size]

[/left][left][size=4][color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif]“Cybercriminals view Macs as a soft target, because their owners don't typically run anti-virus software and are thought to have a higher level of disposable income than the typical Windows user,” said [url="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-in-every-five-mac-computers-harbors-malware-sophos-research-reveals-2012-04-24"]Sophos consultant Graham Cluley in a release[/url]. “Mac users must protect their computers now or risk making the malware problem on Macs as big as the problem on PCs.”[/font][/color][/size]

[/left][left][size=4][color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif]One Mac trojan that has been in the news lately, of course, is the [url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/apple-releases-malware-detection-tool/2012/04/13/gIQALkH6ET_story.html"]Flashback trojan[/url]. Apple itself acknowledged the bug, releasing an update intended to remove most variants of the malware. Yet while it appeared that the Apple fix was reducing the number of computers affected, the Russian antivirus firm that first publicized the attack, Dr. Web, told [url="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226429/Flashback_botnet_not_shrinking_huge_numbers_of_Macs_still_infected_?taxonomyId=85"]Computerworld’s Gregg Keizer[/url]that the Flashback trojan is still on around 650,000 Macs and growing. On Friday, Keizer reported that figure was backed up by fellow security firm Symantec, which had earlier reported that the Flashback botnet had been reduced by 60 percent, the report said.[/font][/color][/size]

[/left][left][size=4][color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif]Macs still do not face the same threat from malware that Windows computers do, but the Sophos study shows that most Mac users may not be paying as much attention to threats as they should, either. There’s no need to panic about an incoming flood of Mac malware, but it’s just common sense to check for threats — particularly if your computer starts to act strangely. There are a couple of free, basic programs out there in addition to Sophos free Mac antivirus, including the open source download ClamXav and iAntiVirus as well as paid offerings from companies that make PC and Mac antivirus software.[/font][/color][/size]

[/left]

[-GoBengals-]

lol

"[color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif][left]But even if Mac users don’t see the bad effects of a Windows virus, they risk passing on the malware to Windows users through shared documents, thumb drives, e-mails and other means, which is probably how Mac users acquire Windows viruses in the first place."[/left][/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif][left]so its coming from windows and going back to windows machines and causes me no harm..... [/left][/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif][left]which part of this is supposed to concern me? what is the point here?[/left][/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=Georgia, serif][left]its kinda like the article is saying "HEY MAC USER, dont you da[/left][/font][/color][left]re pass back that malware i sent you..[/left]

[bengalrick]

you ever send emails from your home email to your work email Go? even if you don't, i'm sure many do... If your work email is soft on the security side, you can put your company at risk.

[-GoBengals-]

not really, i do everything on my phone in that regard, or my ipad.

that could be a risk for many though..

my work computer is reimaged everytime its restarted at midnight... which is VERY annoying btw..

[bengalrick]

[quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1335462671' post='1122064']not really, i do everything on my phone in that regard, or my ipad. that could be a risk for many though.. my work computer is reimaged everytime its restarted at midnight... which is VERY annoying btw..[/quote]

wow, so security clearly isn't a problem at your workplace lol

Yeah, that is the only way I could see this affecting mac users lives, albeit not their own macs.

I wish I had more money to invest in apple hardware, especially with them using linux more for their OS, but just not there yet financially. You certainly get what you pay for though. I do love my apple TV and iPhone.

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='bengalrick' timestamp='1335463305' post='1122073']

wow, so security clearly isn't a problem at your workplace lol

Yeah, that is the only way I could see this affecting mac users lives, albeit not their own macs.

I wish I had more money to invest in apple hardware, especially with them using linux more for their OS, but just not there yet financially. You certainly get what you pay for though. I do love my apple TV and iPhone.
[/quote]

and if you do get macs at home, the integration with the apple tv, iphone, ipad, ipod and macbooks and all is fantastic, streaming of media between all of them is great, the cloud is great. makes life convenient.

check out the refurbished macs on apple.com usually 20% savings, and mine has lasted over 3 years without a single problem(at least that i didnt manually cause on my own)..

you can get a macbook pro under a grand, imacs around 800-950... mac mini for $500-ish..

as for my work, yea, technicians are the only ones who can install things, no other company can run an EXE file or even has active USB ports aside from preinstalled scanner and keyboard, so they wipe us daily... makes saving files a pain, using a horribly slow share drive stinks.. and it does a virus scan in and out when saving files...

[|Montana Bengal|]

I'm very happy with my macbook + ATV2 combination at home. Of course my ATV2 is 'hacked' to do a little more.

[Jamie_B]

You Mac guys are so defensive, maybe you should switch from Austrian goat milk double-half-caf-half-decaf-soy milk cappuccino - extra hot - with a dash of Madagascar cinnamon-and half tablespoon of caramel-latte-frappa-mocha, to decaf.

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Montana Bengal' timestamp='1335469131' post='1122159']
I'm very happy with my macbook + ATV2 combination at home. Of course my ATV2 is 'hacked' to do a little more.
[/quote]

atv2 would be "perfect" if it dd hulu plus and played avi or mkv files(which i hear is doable when hacked)..

pondering adding a ROKU 2 XD to my mix for hulu plus options.... but who knows.. they are only $69 for the 1080p versions..

[|Montana Bengal|]

My 'hacked' version actually has a video player. Check this. [url="http://firecore.com/atvflash-black"]http://firecore.com/atvflash-black[/url] (click more features at the bottom). The biggest problem I had with this was jail-breaking it initially.

You can install XBMC to run hulu +, but it doesn't consitantly work and I think the XBMC is a sloppy mess interface-wise.

I would pick up a roku 2 (I like the ability to add channels), but with a blu-ray player that has hulu+, Epix HD, etc. I can't justify picking up another device.

[-GoBengals-]

yea my blu ray in my fam room does, but not in the bedroom, and i never...ever watch blu ray anymore... everything is streaming these days.. so i like the small devices most of which are mountable behind the tv if desired.. using hulu more would save room on my DVR's. and i would watch more stuff i normally wouldnt bother recording... i just have no convenient way to watch hulu at home..

[|Montana Bengal|]

I have to say that I had Hulu + for awhile and didn't use it that much.

[|Montana Bengal|]

[quote name='Jamie_B' timestamp='1335536266' post='1123610']
You Mac guys are so defensive, maybe you should switch from Austrian goat milk double-half-caf-half-decaf-soy milk cappuccino - extra hot - with a dash of Madagascar cinnamon-and half tablespoon of caramel-latte-frappa-mocha, to decaf.



[/quote]

I'm actually pushing for a Mac at work. My dell is from 2004 and runs like crap. I tend to be the person in the office that has to deal with all the IT issues....I'm just at the point where I don't want to have to mess with fixing machines anymore.

And why the fuck do you know anything about "Austrian goat milk double-half-caf-half-decaf-soy milk cappuccino - extra hot - with a dash of Madagascar cinnamon-and half tablespoon of caramel-latte-frappa-mocha?" With that description, it sounds like you've been ordering this drink regularly. Self loathing?

How little do you know about me. I drink organic free-trade coffee (mint mocha) from a recycled Prego jar or only the best Rooibos tea. :-)

[-GoBengals-]

mac users ahve time to order long winded drinks and sip them slowly because they arent wasting 56% of their day fixing PC problems