Admin password asked when opening a .torrent file

[Riccardo]

Hi everybody!

I have a bad feeling about what happened some days ago: trying to open a .torrent file (yeah, I know, but for me song's previews offered by iTunes are too short to decide if buy an album or not), I was asked to give the admin password. Quite stupidly, I didn't think more than one second and gave it. Then, an error occurred and I was not able to open the file.

I did not observe, in the following days, any strange behavior. However, I'm asking you if that file could be a spyware/trojan. I'm worrying too much? Oh, I forgot: I have a MacBook Pro fully updated with Snow Leopard 10.6.4.

P.S. At the end, I found the songs on Youtube and bought them on the Store anyway

Thanks for the help,

Riccardo

 

[stridemat]

Normally a torrent file wouldn't ask for your admin password. I would be concerned. Just keep a tab on your mac, and look out for anything strange.

 

[spinnerlys]

How big was the torrent file and where did you download it?

 

[Riccardo]

Normally a torrent file wouldn't ask for your admin password. I would be concerned. Just keep a tab on your mac, and look out for anything strange.

Oh, thanks for the quick reply! What could be your advises? I checked MacScan and LittleSnitch, do you think they could be useful?

How big was the torrent file and where did you download it?

That's the strange thing: the file seemed quite normal (it was just some KB; the file icon was the Transmission one; the extension was ".torrent"). I admit I didn't look in depth (cmd-i), my concerns came out when I had a second thought about the file and after I trashed it. Initially I thought it was just a corrupted file. Honestly, I don't remember where I downloaded it from.

 

[stridemat]

Little Snitch could be useful, but the damage could already be done. Its worth a try.

 

[Riccardo]

Just for asking, could it be a problem of Transmission instead? I mean, I double-clicked the .torrent file, which usually open the program, and then it asked for the password...

 

[stridemat]

It you have updated recenty then that could have cause it. Like I said just keep an eye out for anything strange.

 

[Riccardo]

It you have updated recenty then that could have cause it. Like I said just keep an eye out for anything strange.

Ok! Thanks again for the help!

 

[Riccardo]

Just a brief update: neither a full scan with MacScan, nor Little Snitch showed anything which could be related to malicious files or activities. I also kept an eye on my DNSes, and they did not changed (I heard that a trojan exposed this behavior). While using my Mac (especially when navigating), moreover, I could not see strange behaviors. I hope this is a positive signal (if someone could confirm this, it would be greatly appreciated!).

Riccardo