Apple Employees' Macs Compromised by Chinese Hackers

[MacRumors]

A number of Macs owned by Apple employees were compromised by the same China-based hackers that targeted Facebook employees recently, reports All Things D. The malware entered the systems through the Java plug-in, which Apple has blocked recently due to unpatched security vulnerabilities. Reuters was the first to report the disclosure.

"Apple has identified malware which infected a limited number of Mac systems through a vulnerability in the Java plug-in for browsers," the company said in a statement to AllThingsD. "The malware was employed in an attack against Apple and other companies, and was spread through a website for software developers. We identified a small number of systems within Apple that were infected and isolated them from our network. There is no evidence that any data left Apple. We are working closely with law enforcement to find the source of the malware."

Apple will also be releasing a standalone malware removal tool to clean infected machines.

The New York Times published an article yesterday laying out how a number of recent hacking attacks against U.S. corporations could be linked to the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Macs have traditionally been viewed as significantly more secure than Windows machines, though in the past year there have been a number of compromised machines from the Flashback malware and issues with Java.

Article Link: Apple Employees' Macs Compromised by Chinese Hackers

[rafaltrus]

News brought to you by the Letter Duh Inc.

[jrbdmb]

Originally Posted by rafaltrus

News brought to you by the Letter Duh Inc.

Well, for the number of Mac users I know who consider their system "unhackable" this is news. For the rest of us, not so much.

[Hakone]

What a way to ring in the new lunar new year than to go on a hacking spree.

Samsung to the PLA: "Hi guys, wanna have lunch?"

[nep61]

Maybe I should get some spy-ware or antivirus software....

Hmmm I've been doing fine without either on any Mac I've had since 1992.... Maybe I should be worried !

[zin]

Why doesn't the Chinese Government have any meaningful actions to combat this? It was Google several months back, then Facebook, and now Apple.

Unless of course the Chinese Government are the ones that hired the 'hackers' so as to steal intellectual property...

[KPOM]

Originally Posted by zin

Why doesn't the Chinese Government have any meaningful actions to combat this? It was Google several months back, then Facebook, and now Apple.

Unless of course the Chinese Government are the ones that hired the 'hackers' so as to steal intellectual property...

I'm guessing its the latter. China plays by its own rules.

[IJ Reilly]

Originally Posted by KPOM

I'm guessing its the latter. China plays by its own rules.

http://www.npr.org/2013/02/19/172373...hinas-military

Not that most countries with the resources to do so don't run similar covert cyber operations.

[bedifferent]

Originally Posted by IJ Reilly

http://www.npr.org/2013/02/19/172373...hinas-military

Not that most countries with the resources to do so don't run similar covert cyber operations.

I often wonder, if China is so advanced to hack so many systems, why would they leave a trail of bread crumbs?

[bedifferent]

Originally Posted by KPOM

I'm guessing its the latter. China plays by its own rules.

Yet, they own us now. The largest nation by population, and one of the most powerful by markets and debts owned.

God I miss the 90's, times seemed, simpler. (and yes, I realize many policies of the 90's lead us to this situation, but it seems many more from the 2000's have pushed us over the fiscal cliff, so to speak)

[AnorexicPig]

Originally Posted by bedifferent

Yet, they own us now. The largest nation by population, and one of the most powerful by markets and debts owned.

God I miss the 90's, times seemed, simpler. (and yes, I realize many policies of the 90's lead us to this situation, but it seems many more from the 2000's have pushed us over the fiscal cliff, so to speak)

Well,technically they don't really own the US,the US is by far much more powerful in military and in global sphere (much more allies whereas China has NK ),but then today war is not that easy between two big nuclear armed nations.

[LagunaSol]

Originally Posted by bedifferent

Yet, they own us now. The largest nation by population, and one of the most powerful by markets and debts owned.

Fortunately Google and the Android fans are hard at work wresting us from the Chinese and giving us to the Koreans instead.

[Moopy Sac]

Originally Posted by bedifferent

Yet, they own us now. The largest nation by population, and one of the most powerful by markets and debts owned.

God I miss the 90's, times seemed, simpler. (and yes, I realize many policies of the 90's lead us to this situation, but it seems many more from the 2000's have pushed us over the fiscal cliff, so to speak)

In the 90s it was the Japanese we were terrified of (to this day Japan owns roughly as much US debt as China, both around 7%).

In hindsight the Japanese are much more benevolent rivals than the Chinese. Weird how democracy works that way.

[muncyweb]

Originally Posted by KPOM

I'm guessing its the latter. China plays by its own rules.

Just when you thought the Chinese were too busy making and selling plastic crap to the U.S.

[Brother Esau]

I guess the age old statement of MAC users saying WE DON'T GET VIRUSES..WE RUN MACS.. is shot to hell now Silly MAC users!

[Jsameds]

Pointless, really, like the majority of 'cyber hacking' (urgh I hate the term cyber).

To be honest the Chinese citizens hacking skills would be best put to work on their own government, tearing down "The Great Firewall of China".

[Dontuwish]

State sponsored, PLA unit. They've been doing it for 10 years, ask Nortel...

[entatlrg]

Originally Posted by Dontuwish

State sponsored, PLA unit. They've been doing it for 10 years, ask Nortel...

True.

[BRLawyer]

Originally Posted by Dontuwish

State sponsored, PLA unit. They've been doing it for 10 years, ask Nortel...

Just like State-sponsored US cyber/covert operations against "friendly" and "evil" countries out there...just ask the CIA. The only difference is which side you support.

[Zealous]

Originally Posted by Jsameds

To be honest the Chinese citizens hacking skills would be best put to work on their own government, tearing down "The Great Firewall of China".

Except... wouldn't they get murdered by the government and stuff if they did that?

[rnizlek]

Originally Posted by zin

Why doesn't the Chinese Government have any meaningful actions to combat this? It was Google several months back, then Facebook, and now Apple.

Unless of course the Chinese Government are the ones that hired the 'hackers' so as to steal intellectual property...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/te...nst-us.html?hp

[Builddesign]

Originally Posted by zin

...Chinese Government are the ones that hired the 'hackers' so as to steal intellectual property...

Build them in the us.

[metsjetsfan]

Originally Posted by Builddesign

Build them in the us.

if we only built apple products here they would all be terrible quality, Cook has hinted at this as well, prob need at least 5-10 years for that to happen.

[The Bulge]

The end is nigh ...

[melendezest]

Any user who thinks any computer is un-hackable or immune to viruses is a fool. Period.

There's foolish Mac users, foolish Windows users, etc, etc.

Less prone to these incidents is another story...