"Warning, This Worm Bites Apple" article

[zelmo]

http://netscape.businessweek.com/bwdaily/list/byte01.htm

[Diatribe]

First of all it is an app you have to install and then enter your password. This is far more than that what I have to do on a Windows PC. And unless there is, and I mean really is, a virus that infects Macs, not just case studies, I won't worry.

And secondly, the day that a virus or worm infects a huge amount of macs is the day Apple will integrate anti-virus software into OSX that runs in the background with the same convience of software update to update it.

I start worrying when the day has come. I hate that... "Mac users should buy anti-virus software ASAP" What does he think he is the national terrorism alert center?

[sonyrules]

This guy makes it seam it the end of the world cause of one virus. Granted, we dont get them as bad as windows user, but none the less we do get them. I dont think this will be a big issue, you dont see windows users melting over one virus, I dont think the Mac people will be any different.

[yellow]

It's not a worm. :rolleyes:

It's a rootkit.

[munkle]

I'm bored of reading this crap and amazed at how much attention it has gotten - not so amazed and how uninformed most of the articles are though. :rolleyes:

Lets get this straight from the beginning: the malware that is 'opener' is not a virus, it is not a worm, it is not even a trojan (unless it's comes piggybacked on some other application). It is a rootkit.

The threat of rootkits on OSX is real, no doubt about it, comes part and parcel of being part of *nix world. But it takes effort on your part to install it - very different to what it is like being on a Windows computer!

But 'opener' is not the threat that people are making it out to be/wishing it was. It has no known means of transport or any other way to infect computers that anyone has seen to date and its full source has been verified. As it stands in the virus world this type of thing is rated about as non-threatening as you can get.

This thing is just a glorified shell script, and is not even a pre-compiled binary. Meaning that it tells you what it is doing if you know bash. This thing is about scary as me writing a script in AppleScript and asking you to run it, and send it out to your friends as well whilst you're at it please. :rolleyes:

This amatuerish piece of malware is generating a lot of headlines and ill-informed articles for very little reason. The only thing to be had from this whole fiasco is seeing how much people want Mac's to fall flat on their faces for daring to have a more secure system than Windows! :eek: ;) :p

[iMeowbot]

Yep, and if we had some ham, we could have a ham and cheese sandwich, if we had some cheese.

[SilentPanda]

What we need to start doing is writing these people that write FUD articles and make them informed. Here's a good start...

alex_salkever@businessweek.com

[Moof1904]

Sadly, I think the most damage from this non-virus is likely to be caused by the inaccurate, sensationalistic reporting. Such publicity will only encourage more Mac malware-writing wannabees.

[SilentPanda]

Sadly, I think the most damage from this non-virus is likely to be caused by the inaccurate, sensationalistic reporting. Such publicity will only encourage more Mac malware-writing wannabees.

I hope it does encourage them in a sense. I'd much rather really have the capacity to have a virus than for the public perception be altered wrongly by reporters that I can have a virus. Bring it on or don't. None of this in between crap.

[Steven1621]

if i recall correctly, wasn't the worm or one of the recent threats geared towards macs found by the people the make sophos, one of the only anti virus programs for mac os x. perhaps i am mistaken, but wouldn't it be in their best interest to fine a few threats out there so that mac people will rush out and get their program?

[rueyeet]

In the Windows world, reports of worms and viruses and Trojans, oh my! are so frequent that no one but the corporate IT departments and infected users even pays attention to them anymore, unless they slow down the whole Internet.

In the Mac world, worms, viruses, and Trojans are so unheard-of that even a theoretical vulnerability or a OS X-specific rootkit is enough to garner HUGE amounts of press.

Which computer would you rather be running? ;)

[MacDawg]

All the hype and press over a non-issue... because there is not real issues to report.

[Mechcozmo]

This is the same things as:

Open the Terminal, type sudo rm -r *.* and press enter. DO NOT DO THIS COMMAND IT WILL ERASE EVERYTHING!!!

At least, I think I got it right...
Or you can take the permissions away from the System folder and give them to no one.

Sigh... Macs are so far immune to must viruses. :D

[yellow]

if i recall correctly, wasn't the worm or one of the recent threats geared towards macs found by the people the make sophos, one of the only anti virus programs for mac os x.

By Intego, the French who make NetBarrier.

[Mechcozmo]

By Intego, the French who make NetBarrier.


French? :eek:

[vniow]

French? :eek:

Yeah, the French. Those people from...uhh...France.

Or something.

[garybUK]

This is the same things as:

Open the Terminal, type sudo rm -r *.* and press enter. DO NOT DO THIS COMMAND IT WILL ERASE EVERYTHING!!!

At least, I think I got it right...
Or you can take the permissions away from the System folder and give them to no one.

Sigh... Macs are so far immune to must viruses. :D

Actually the command you are looking for is 'sudo rm -rf /'

[yellow]

Actually the command you are looking for is 'sudo rm -rf /'

Which will stop when it hit itself in /bin

[wdlove]

The main cure is to keep up to date, thanks to Apple. This forum is always very helpful to keep me aware of potential problems.

[munkle]

Great article (http://www.2guysamacandawebsite.com/article.php?id=582) on the 'gnat' that is opener.

[Mechcozmo]

Actually the command you are looking for is 'sudo rm -rf /'

Ah ok... just don't try and run that one either. ;)