Trojan from Torrents.

[Applefanboy8153]

I download more than 20 torrents every day from kat.ph, while i was going through the malware FAQ, i read that the most common source of Trojans on a Mac is torrents, should I be worried? how can I rectify this problem, I have stopped downloading my torrents and have deleted all torrents from my iMac.

[diazj3]

Assuming the files you download are legally shared and you are legally entitled to download them... there's always a risk while using public trackers. Get a seedbox if security concerns you.

[lamerica80]

Yes, illegelay shared software are the most common place to find mac trojans. I would be very careful downloading such software.

Regarding movies and music i find it hard to believe that they would contain trojans.

[benwiggy]

Originally Posted by Applefanboy8153

I download more than 20 torrents every day from kat.ph, while i was going through the malware FAQ, i read that the most common source of Trojans on a Mac is torrents, should I be worried?

If you are downloading files whose ultimate origin in unknown or uncertain, and then authorising them to install on your computer, then…. well, it's fairly obvious that there's a risk.

If I were in the business of malware, then it would be very easy to doctor some installer package to contain an extra surprise and then seed it. Torrented copies of pirated software have been found with malware on several occasions.

[switon]

Originally Posted by benwiggy

If I were in the business of malware, then it would be very easy to doctor some installer package to contain an extra surprise and then seed it. Torrented copies of pirated software have been found with malware on several occasions.

And, of course, Microsoft is fighting an ongoing battle over Windows OS pirating. As I recall, last fall agents for Microsoft bought 20 unopened boxed computers at retail stores in one city in one particular country (not the US), and found that something like 50% of the unopened boxed computers already contained malware with backdoors installed on them, and somewhere near 100% of the computers had pirated versions of Windows. So you don't even have to download suspect software to get infected with malware...

Regards,
Switon

[Jessica Lares]

Originally Posted by Applefanboy8153

I download more than 20 torrents every day from kat.ph, while i was going through the malware FAQ, i read that the most common source of Trojans on a Mac is torrents, should I be worried? how can I rectify this problem, I have stopped downloading my torrents and have deleted all torrents from my iMac.

It's not a problem with video, music, or PDFs, but it's when you download apps that either have installers, or are just a single .app file. You can easily edit them to fire off something like an Apple script that loads something dodgy when you first open it.

[Applefanboy8153]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

It's not a problem with video, music, or PDFs, but it's when you download apps that either have installers, or are just a single .app file. You can easily edit them to fire off something like an Apple script that loads something dodgy when you first open it.

I only download movies and tv shows and very rarely a pdf
I purchase all software legally
so I am safe right?

[Jessica Lares]

Originally Posted by Applefanboy8153

I only download movies and tv shows and very rarely a pdf
I purchase all software legally
so I am safe right?

Yeah. Just make sure there isn't any weird files other than the .mov, .avi, etc in the torrents. A .txt is okay. Easily done by reading the file list on the description page of a torrent.

[Mr. Retrofire]

Originally Posted by lamerica80

Regarding movies and music i find it hard to believe that they would contain trojans.

They can contain code for Windows-based systems. This code downloads other parts, which can contain a rootkit, a trojan and other “nice” things. On the Mac, such attacks are also possible, because the users use either QuickTime X or one of the ffmpeg-based players, like VLC or MPlayer.

[Applefanboy8153]

I need to scan my mac regularly as I download pdf torrents and movie torrents.

[GGJstudios]

Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 10 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below).

3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing, as described in the following link. Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.

[justperry]

Not needed for personal use on a Mac, only if you resend downloaded stuff to your friends Windows machine you could do so, but, I think that is their problem, not yours, so, don't install one.

But, if you really need one, use ClamXav and manually scan.

[robcole2013]

Does your Bank supply anti virus? Im not sure where your based but in the UK several of the banks supply antivirus free. Because here if you don't have antivirus & you use online banking & get robbed you don't have a leg to stand on. My bank Barclays supplies Kaspersky internet security 2013 with 3 licenses & Kaspersky for mac 1 license. Both have been great. My only bit of advice is when they bring out a new version wait a couple of months. When the latest releases came out people had no end of problems & i am extremely happy with both now.

Rob

[benwiggy]

Originally Posted by robcole2013

Because here if you don't have antivirus & you use online banking & get robbed you don't have a leg to stand on.

As a Barclays customer, I would want to see some smallprint that stated AV software was required for you to be compensated for online fraud. I suspect that would contravene statutory obligations.

Originally Posted by robcole2013

. My bank Barclays supplies Kaspersky internet security 2013 with 3 licenses & Kaspersky for mac 1 license.

They supply a 12-month licence. I would be surprised if this was perpetually renewed for free. It's a "Low-ball". After using it for a year, you're less likely to back out when Kapersky asks you to pay.

Originally Posted by robcole2013

Both have been great.

Define "great". Have they kept away the elephants? Look! No elephants!

Originally Posted by Applefanboy8153

I download pdf torrents and movie torrents.

I'm curious what sort of PDFs need to be acquired from torrents. However, there are vulnerabilities in Adobe's PDF software, because they allow code and all sorts of embedded material. It is theoretically possible to take advantage of exploits in video files, too.

[dinggus]

Originally Posted by Applefanboy8153

I only download movies and tv shows and very rarely a pdf
I purchase all software legally
so I am safe right?

Why buy software and not pay for movies? If you're going to pirate, might as well pirate everything.

[Applefanboy8153]

Originally Posted by benwiggy

As a Barclays customer, I would want to see some smallprint that stated AV software was required for you to be compensated for online fraud. I suspect that would contravene statutory obligations.


They supply a 12-month licence. I would be surprised if this was perpetually renewed for free. It's a "Low-ball". After using it for a year, you're less likely to back out when Kapersky asks you to pay.


Define "great". Have they kept away the elephants? Look! No elephants!


I'm curious what sort of PDFs need to be acquired from torrents. However, there are vulnerabilities in Adobe's PDF software, because they allow code and all sorts of embedded material. It is theoretically possible to take advantage of exploits in video files, too.

Usually books.

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Originally Posted by dinggus

Why buy software and not pay for movies? If you're going to pirate, might as well pirate everything.

If I were to pay for all the movies and tv shows I watch, I'd be bankrupt. So.... but I hardly listen to songs so I usually purchase them from the itunes store.

[blueroom]

Originally Posted by Applefanboy8153

Usually books.

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If I were to pay for all the movies and tv shows I watch, I'd be bankrupt. So.... but I hardly listen to songs so I usually purchase them from the itunes store.

Amazing how some folks can justify stealing.

[robcole2013]

Im on my 2nd year with kaspersky via my bank & its just a few clicks to renew for free. The mac software is a little harder because you have to call them.