You just defined a class of people who you are OK to see blackmailed. Re-read what you just typed.
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New Mac Ransomware Found in Pirated Mac Apps
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I said "I have no sympathy" for a thief that gets thief'd, there is a difference between stating "they deserve it" and saying "I have no sympathy for them".
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Maybe they stole the Mac too.
That’s some funny stuff right there...
I got pinched once long ago for downloading some apps that didn’t have trials and it of course destroyed my music library and Windows back then but then again, I deserved it.
I had a backup drive so it wasn’t a huge loss other than my time. I’ve changed my ways of course.
I do still occasionally look for some old games here and there that have been long forgotten to play on my old MM, I’m guilty.
Still fondly remembering the days that you couldn’t find a x86 installer for the Warcraft 3 Battle chest (and now have a deprecated game and not a new enough Mac to play the remaster...
Grumble, Thrall would be disappointed.
iPad version please!
I got pinched once long ago for downloading some apps that didn’t have trials and it of course destroyed my music library and Windows back then but then again, I deserved it.
I had a backup drive so it wasn’t a huge loss other than my time. I’ve changed my ways of course.
I do still occasionally look for some old games here and there that have been long forgotten to play on my old MM, I’m guilty.
Still fondly remembering the days that you couldn’t find a x86 installer for the Warcraft 3 Battle chest (and now have a deprecated game and not a new enough Mac to play the remaster...
Grumble, Thrall would be disappointed.
iPad version please!
Hackintosh 4ever! Also sandbox drive for risky stuff.
Let's see if non-Intel Macs are actually worth buying. Don't feel like paying $3k for hardware I can get for $1k. Software applies too, especially for stuff I use like once a year. Haters can hate.
youd be VERY surprised!
Not everyone buys a Mac brand new form Apple or an authorized retailer. Some, on the need for a computer bought a 3 yr old machine like myself and wants to learn coding for a better future or learning Mac for a job. Many pirate software which I’m not for nor am I going to pass judgment. I’m sure those meaning well will happily pay for software when they really can. Again those meaning well.
I see this issue very similar to those that pirated music over a decade ago with Napster yet it’s still pirating. That hole industry had to change because of it.
this ransomeware is far more devious! Any corporation that is ok with pirating software or sourcing software from illegal means deserves ransomeware on corporate owned machines. Moreover, some software creators that have a website can be hacked and their source of software could be circumvented and source software replaced.
And people hate on the walled garden model.
Anybody getting hit with such blackmail software: there's only one solution that will work for sure and be able to restore trust in the machine: "nuke from high orbit":
- wipe the machine clean
- clean reinstall of the OS
- restore data from a backup that's known clean
No backup: You're SOL.
Paying the crooks: don't even think about it: you're helping them commit more such acts. Moreover how could you ever know they actually remove it (even if it appears they do, how long till it comes back with a vengeance to make you pay again and more?)
"cleaning" the machine: Sure there will be those that try to find every last bit of the malware and try to remove it. But you'll NEVER be 100% sure they got everything. And every single time something goes amiss that doubt will resurface with a vengeance. You'll never be able to trust the machine for stuff you want to be kept secret (what if there's aside of the ransomware also some keylogger that keeps sending it all to the criminals ? - What if that didn't get noticed by those making the removal tools)
Moreover modern malware is dynamic in most cases: it downloads components on the fly as it propagates in a machine. And the services where they get these bits are sometimes "smart" in that they can classify assets as more or less interesting. E.g. a known anti-malware company trying the download might get recognised by their IP address and not get anything new, or terrible valuable. OTOH some asset in .gov site might get a very stealthy backdoor installed, and no ransomware (yet).
The blunt ransomware exists, for sure, but the smarter attack malware also exists and is out there on the wintendo side of things. No reason why they'd not make the mac side of things a bit smarter if there's enough of us falling for it.
As to having compassion with those getting hit while stealing software: I might have a very little bit - not much, but then again: Karma is a B*tch.
- wipe the machine clean
- clean reinstall of the OS
- restore data from a backup that's known clean
No backup: You're SOL.
Paying the crooks: don't even think about it: you're helping them commit more such acts. Moreover how could you ever know they actually remove it (even if it appears they do, how long till it comes back with a vengeance to make you pay again and more?)
"cleaning" the machine: Sure there will be those that try to find every last bit of the malware and try to remove it. But you'll NEVER be 100% sure they got everything. And every single time something goes amiss that doubt will resurface with a vengeance. You'll never be able to trust the machine for stuff you want to be kept secret (what if there's aside of the ransomware also some keylogger that keeps sending it all to the criminals ? - What if that didn't get noticed by those making the removal tools)
Moreover modern malware is dynamic in most cases: it downloads components on the fly as it propagates in a machine. And the services where they get these bits are sometimes "smart" in that they can classify assets as more or less interesting. E.g. a known anti-malware company trying the download might get recognised by their IP address and not get anything new, or terrible valuable. OTOH some asset in .gov site might get a very stealthy backdoor installed, and no ransomware (yet).
The blunt ransomware exists, for sure, but the smarter attack malware also exists and is out there on the wintendo side of things. No reason why they'd not make the mac side of things a bit smarter if there's enough of us falling for it.
As to having compassion with those getting hit while stealing software: I might have a very little bit - not much, but then again: Karma is a B*tch.
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This has nothing to do with apps available outside the walled garden. It's people installing pirated software from sketchy websites. The Little Snitch dev isn't building ransomware into their product.
Don't steal software and you have nothing to worry about.
This is mostly true until your legit software uses a open source library that's infected and something like this gets compiled into the code.
Now with that being said, don't pirate software.
But this can happen if you put an infected USB drive into your computer or a number of other ways.
Backups are important.
I see cities and commercial organizations affected by ransomeware.
Where are the clean backups?
I kept two backups of my data.
Why? I've lost data and I've determined my data is valuable.
More valuable that the cost of two backups.
Indeed they do. Shockingly, people also:
- Drive faster than the speed limit
- Avoid paying taxes
- Do things that are obviously bad for them, like smoking and drinking
- Steal other peoples WiFi
- Use fake names and identities when signing up for stuff online
- Use a cell phone while driving
- shoot wild animals for 'sport' and mount their heads on a wall
- and so on, ad nauseam
What happens when some Ransomware appears that gets delivered by some route other than pirated software? What happens when you get hit by it, even though you haven't done anything 'bad' or 'wrong', and your 'reinstall from backup' strategy doesn't work?
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I cannot speak for everyone here but I think the general consensus was anti-pirate, not pro-ransomware. Speaking for myself you can reference my post #54 where I expressed sympathy for individuals and towns etc that have been victimized in this way by clicking a link or some other means that didn't involve theft. As for the 'reinstall' post, at least someone was trying to present a solution in case it does happen to anyone here, now they have something to try.
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Third party apps isn't the issue here. It's pirated versions, and those Apps on the AppStore can also be pirated, and no doubt modified in the same way, since you can turn off notarized verification.
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So, then, you’re only stealing the operating system? Or are you stealing other software too? It’s a little unclear from your confession.
Okay, that's fair, but the likelihood of that happening is so slim compared to the chances of it happening through pirated software.
And yes, backups are a necessity.
Any time you download software from a site you don't know for sure is real, and then install it, and enter your credentials to do so, you are risking your security. That's a major advantage of the MAS. If you don't know what you are doing, stick to the safe route.
Exactly. You can be anti-piracy and anti-ransomware, and still not feel bad for people who fall victim to ransomware because they were stealing someone else's hard work. There's room for nuance.
The blackmailed did not deserve it. They asked for it. There’s a difference.
There's MacUpdate which you can use, and you can see the number of downloads too for that app which offers confidence that it's safe. Apply a little common sense and you can download 3rd party apps safely.
Not apps can be offered on MAS due to Apple's restrictions, and it may not be possible for developers to change their apps accordingly.