First Mac Ransomware Found in Transmission BitTorrent Client

[mgmusicman94]

Cant really blame Apple for data loss if you
(a) Don't make regular backups
(b) Install bit torrent clients (from a website no less) Which have little or no legitimate use other than piracy

I'm not sure anyone was blaming Apple for anything. I'm just saying the use of time machine is relatively uncommon, though I bet transmission users are more likely to fall into the category of people that do use it.

 

[jdogg836]

Do a lot of people with Macs download Linux?

If we're talking about the number of people, I'd answer yes. If you wanna talk percentages it's probably pretty low. I'm a fan of *nix Operating Systems and I love to tinker. I also know a lot of people who are into the same sorts of things, and I'd say in certain age ranges it's pretty common.

 

[pat500000]

Sorry I have to rant on this: I had it. Software developers aren't doing anything to be preventive. If this is a beginning or have been ongoing... They need to step because it's gonna be hard to trust any app now.


Edit: I would be a happy man if OS X detects virus or anything thing that would compromise the OS and send them back with 10 fold.

 

[John.B]

Because… Open source.

Not that different from how GoTo Fail was introduced into OS X.

 

[goobot]

I'm not sure what you're trying to say, please correct me if I'm wrong...

If only Mac App Store was perfect, everybody would voluntarily do the right thing? No developer would ever again offer downloads from its own web site in order to pocket an extra 30%, nobody would ever release infected downloads out into the wild, nobody would ever again click a Download button at a web site? If OS X security was nailed down as tightly as iOS, nobody would ever develop or use a jailbreak? That Apple would be able to guarantee that no App Store developer would ever release faulty or malicious code?

I'm sure that, if there is an infinite number of parallel universes, there will be at least one where that will be true. However, it isn't this one. As far as I know, it's not possible to communicate between parallel universes (well, at least if you're living in this particular universe), so you're not living in an alternate universe where perfection is possible.

What I don't understand is why don't developers put free apps in it?

 

[OLDCODGER]

Whoops. I can't install 2.9 because I'm on OS X 10.6
Nevermind.

Snow Leopard for the win - again!

 

[mgmusicman94]

Lol, I don't think I've met an even SLIGHTLY savvy computer user (Mac or PC) in the last eight years or so that uses a client other than uTorrent.
Given that ALL torrent apps are free, why would anyone download this????????

You've gotta be kidding. uTorrent has ads that are only removable with a subscription, and it installs adware & changes default search engines. It's the sell out of torrent clients.

 

[ACE83]

Backups people, backups! Too often no one cares about backups until they are struck with something like this. There was an article, I think on NPR, a while back that chronicled the hoops people have to jump through in order to get rid of ransomware when they haven't practiced good backup strategy. There's a clock running and for someone who has never dealt with bitcoin before it can be challenging even if you want to pay the ransom.

Edit to add: here was the article I was thinking of, it was on RadioLab: http://www.radiolab.org/story/darkode/

That episode is a fantastic look inside this crazy process.

 

[uptownnyc]

Upon launch it would seem.

Checked back, and turns out I downloaded prior to the infected version being posted. This is good info:

http://researchcenter.paloaltonetwo...ted-transmission-bittorrent-client-installer/

 

[waquzy]

utorrent ftw

 

[nylon]

Are you safe if you installed 2.9 before March 4th. I installed on Feb 27th. According to the website the installer was infected on March 4th.

 

[bekiil]

Outrageous!! A ****ing scandal of epic proportions!
I hope Macrumors can do a interview of the developers on this case.

 

[felt.]

Wasn't the sparkle auto-update framework recently found to be compromised and the solution given was to get updates directly from the developer instead of using auto-update?

 

[Gudi]

Since nobody mentioned it: Gatekeeper

 

[Feek]

Do a lot of people with Macs download Linux?

Purely by coincidence, I downloaded a Linux distro just yesterday to do some testing in a VM. Admittedly, it's the first time I've grabbed one for a few months but clearly some people with Macs do download Linux.

 

[ACE83]

That's a cool feature. Be neat if OS X had similar built-in features IMO.

It does. Xprotect.
http://www.howtogeek.com/217043/xprotect-explained-how-your-macs-built-in-anti-malware-works/

Of course if the user chooses to override the warnings...

 

[tmanto02]

I tried to upgrade and as the certificate wasn't signed it wouldn't allow me. Glad I didn't install straight away!

 

[Abcab]

As a non professional photographer I have 2 backup usb hard-drives hosting photo works for the last 16 years. While I don't use the transmission app, just can't imagine what I would do if i lost them all. Time to definitely get a "offline" backup.

 

[Rigby]

How does this happen to a legit developer? I hope someone gets fired...

The infected version was signed with a different developer certificate than the legitimate versions, so the infection didn't happen during their build process. Maybe their web server was hacked and the installer package replaced. Can happen to the best.

 

[bsolar]

What I don't understand is why don't developers put free apps in it?

There might be many reasons but the most common are licensing restrictions and the limitations that applications have to implement to conform with the guidelines.

 

[kristoffer4]

Whoops

 

[danox574]

For those who need more examples of legitimate usage, the Nalimov tables are a massive database of all possible chess endgames with 3-6 pieces (and now they are working on 7 pieces) that are used to determine optimal moves in all situations. Chess engines can use them to analyze more complex positions to see if a exchange of pieces can feed into a winning endgame and save calculation time. There is no reasonable distrobution method outside of Torrent for data on this scale for hobbyists. I too use Transmission to obtain them and keep seeding, so I am always on the latest versions.

Also total fringe porn

 

[Rigby]

Since nobody mentioned it: Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper didn't do anything to prevent this, since the infected version was signed with a valid certificate (it has been revoked in the meantime though).

 

[2013.1]

I try to never be among the earliest updaters and skip the bad or buggy versions.

 

[Westside guy]

Do a lot of people with Macs download Linux?

Go to a Linux/Unix sysadmin conference (e.g. LISA) sometime - you'll see the laptop of choice is a Mac. Which makes sense, given that OS X really is built on Unix.

Heck, back in 2003 I switched to a Mac... from Linux!