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Apple to Update Mac OS X to Remove 'Mac Defender' Malware
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Face it...
Face it - the criminals and scammers behind the extortionware/scareware were bound to hit the Mac sooner or later.
I guarantee that more will be hit due to purely social engineering on this, before it's knocked down.
I've been largely dealing with this with people at work the last 24 months and it's not just porn or gambling sites anymore: it's sites that are being run out of scarcely monitored colocation facilities where servers aren't patched as frequently as they should.
Glad Apple is putting forth effort to eliminate it before it becomes the huge problem it is on the PC side.
Face it - the criminals and scammers behind the extortionware/scareware were bound to hit the Mac sooner or later.
I guarantee that more will be hit due to purely social engineering on this, before it's knocked down.
I've been largely dealing with this with people at work the last 24 months and it's not just porn or gambling sites anymore: it's sites that are being run out of scarcely monitored colocation facilities where servers aren't patched as frequently as they should.
Glad Apple is putting forth effort to eliminate it before it becomes the huge problem it is on the PC side.
Just a reminder SOPHOS offers free AVAS for mac. Yes I understand everyone here is to smart to get infected 
however its free and has a minute footprint when talking about system resources. so what do you have to lose.
however its free and has a minute footprint when talking about system resources. so what do you have to lose.Sophos ran a bogus story on their blog, greatly exaggerating MacDefender's threat level and tacitly suggesting that their (free) Mac Anti-virus was the best or only remedy, and that Apple did nothing about it, in fact denying it was a threat.
I understand it is their livelihood, but if you have to resort to scaremongering I'd say it's time to re-evaluate your business-strategy.
I understand it is their livelihood, but if you have to resort to scaremongering I'd say it's time to re-evaluate your business-strategy.
Because it was spelled MACDefender. That should give users the first clue because of the MAC (Media Access Control) and Mac is short for Macintosh.
All the Mac haters need to learn this distinction if they want to look somewhat credible. Even anal Aiden would agree with this.
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Web Traps
I've seen what you are describing and there's nothing Google or anyone can do to stop what you encountered. First, the site did NOT scan your computer. You were redirected and saw a Flash animated graphic that LOOKED like it was scanning your computer. When you try to leave the site it really doesn't give you a clear message of how to do that. Just close the browser tab and go on about your day.
The value of a Mac is that a self-executable file requires you to enter the administrator's password for it to install itself. You must be complicit in screwing yourself.
I've seen what you are describing and there's nothing Google or anyone can do to stop what you encountered. First, the site did NOT scan your computer. You were redirected and saw a Flash animated graphic that LOOKED like it was scanning your computer. When you try to leave the site it really doesn't give you a clear message of how to do that. Just close the browser tab and go on about your day.
The value of a Mac is that a self-executable file requires you to enter the administrator's password for it to install itself. You must be complicit in screwing yourself.
Glad to see they're rolling out a fix so soon. Apple has too much street cred in OSX's virus/malware free claims. I have to laugh at all these Windows analogies though
A. what blog entry and when was it written? Please provide something besides your word. B. Until Apple releases this patch isn't there some truth that AV softwares are the best remedy? C. Isn't rouge software on your computer a security threat?
I don't see how your conclusion that how Apple handling this situation is better than SOPHOS
I use W7 with avg free...never a problem.
W7 is a wonderful OS...that said, it DOES take more care and attention than OSX. Doesnt mean it's worse though IMHO
Anyone else out there remember Disinfectant fondly or am I the only veteran Mac user left on this forum now?
Mac OS, like every other OS, has never been immune to viruses. There simply haven't been any that existed in the wild that run on Mac OS X since it was released 10 years ago.
No one with any sense ever claimed there is no malware on OS X; only no viruses.Are they going to release a new version of OS X after each discovered malware? Perhaps this way they could still claim that there is no malware on [updated] OS X
That was the MacDefender/MacSecurity/MacProtector nonsense.
Just a reminder that Sophos is NOT recommended, as it can actually increase your Mac's vulnerability. You don't need antivirus to protect a Mac, since there has never been a virus in the wild that affects Mac OS X since it was released 10 years ago. The handful of trojans that exist can be easily avoided with some education and common sense and care in what software you install:
To be fair most of Windows "viruses" (which they aren't) these days are malware that needs user permission to be installed as well. No OS is immune to user ignorance and/or stupidity.
No AV software can or will protect a user who is dead set on ushering a Trojan horse into their computer.
Many of these scams are older than the invention of electricity, but idiots are born everyday and willing to bite. For these people there is no prevention that would work short of electrocuting them at their keyboards.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)
The only way to get malware/Trojans on a Mac is to install them yourselves. I hope this is a lesson people take to heart. At least Apple is taking command of this instead of booting the problem to third parties like the antivirus companies who've built a huge industry around the PC infect/clean/repeat cycle.
I *would* like to know which web ad company was responsible for serving up the so-called "Mac Defender" ads in the first place.
The only way to get malware/Trojans on a Mac is to install them yourselves. I hope this is a lesson people take to heart. At least Apple is taking command of this instead of booting the problem to third parties like the antivirus companies who've built a huge industry around the PC infect/clean/repeat cycle.
I *would* like to know which web ad company was responsible for serving up the so-called "Mac Defender" ads in the first place.
This must be really serious...
But they will have to do this more and more often if the market quote increases or stays the same...
But they will have to do this more and more often if the market quote increases or stays the same...
Ignore AV and security measures on your Mac at your own peril. As Mac market share increases so will virii being written for it. That's the danger of not being protected.
If a virus ever spreads on the Mac platform it will be headline news around the world as the majority of Macs are unprotected against threats.
If a virus ever spreads on the Mac platform it will be headline news around the world as the majority of Macs are unprotected against threats.
I didn't mention anything about prices.
I also didn't mention anything about not vetting applications.
My point was Apple would still vet the applications but they would be more lenient on what they let in.
An example would be a program that lets you customize every thing about a Mac.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)
BTW, one of the reasons I switched to a Mac originally had to do with the fact that Windows malware relied on Windows/IE vulnerabilities to not only install silently but also on an account without Admin privileges. That doesn't happen on a Mac (thanks to it's BSD roots); if you have malware on a Mac it is only because you explicitly gave your permission/consent to allow it to install.
QuarterSwede said:
BTW, one of the reasons I switched to a Mac originally had to do with the fact that Windows malware relied on Windows/IE vulnerabilities to not only install silently but also on an account without Admin privileges. That doesn't happen on a Mac (thanks to it's BSD roots); if you have malware on a Mac it is only because you explicitly gave your permission/consent to allow it to install.
There hasn't been a virus in the wild that runs on Mac OS X for 10 years, even though it's market share and installed base is larger than it was when there were viruses. The market share theory is bogus.
Like a great number of Macs, my Mac is protected.... by an informed and careful user, which is all that is required. If a virus does appear, it will be headline news, alerting everyone how to avoid it. No antivirus you install today can protect against something that doesn't yet exist.
That's hysterical! LOLApple also needs to include a registry cleaner in this or the next update.
If they include a registry cleaner, they also need to include a registry!
Google for "virtual pc doctor". A similar scam, but starts with a phone call. You will find many people falling for it and ending paying the scammers hundreds.
Sorry but anyone that gets malware using OSX is just plain stupid. Why Apple is coddling its user base is beyond me.