For the past decade or so, many have been quick to argue about how much more secure, stable and virus-free OS X is than Windows. But in light of the Flashback malware, many are reconsidering that stance. Trend Micro, a long time developer of antivirus and anti-malware software, put together a report of virus trends. In it, they cite security firm Mitre, which claims that OS X had more reported vulnerabilities than anyone else. Welp!
We’ve already seen a fake, malware-spreading version of Angry Birds Space for Android. Now there are reports of a fake, malware-spreading Instagram that’s making the rounds, too.
There have been fixes, both unofficial and from Apple itself, for the Flashback trojan that’s been plaguing Macs these past few weeks. But of the 600,000 systems initially infected, nearly a third are still compromised. So, hopefully once and for all, here’s how to make sure you’re not one of them.
More bad news for Apple users: hot on the heels of Flashback, reports are circulating of another Mac-specific trojan — called Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a — that is spreading because of a Microsoft Office vulnerability.
As promised, Apple rolled out a Java update today designed to combat the Flashback infection afflicting some 600,000 Mac users.
Apple announced today that it is hard at work developing a means of scrubbing the Flashback.k Trojan from the 600,000 or so Macs it’s infected.
Dr Mac is the security firm that discovered last week’s all-Mac botnet, something that is pretty unprecedented for the operating system. After sending Apple the findings of their research, Dr Mac heard nothing. And while it technically has yet to acknowledge Dr Mac at all, the fact that Apple attempted to nix the group’s monitoring servers shut down suggests it’s very aware of the situation.
For many years, Mac users — and, indeed, Apple itself — has touted that “Macs don’t get viruses”. The party’s most definitely over, and Flashback is (sadly) just the beginning.
The Flashback Trojan is proving to be a very agile bit of code. It’s mutated several times since it was initially discovered last year, and its newest iteration will let itself onto your system with or without your permission.
