Widespread Virus Proves Macs Are No Longer Safe From Hackers
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/...ter-virus-indicates-mac-users-no-longer-safe/
For years, Mac users have been told that not only are they cooler than their PC counterparts, they are safer too. Apple has always held that computer viruses and malware only dogged its competitors.
That is no longer the case.
This week, security researchers discovered a new computer virus had infected half a million Mac users — about half of them in the United States. The virus is infesting users in the most surreptitious way possible: users need not manually click on any malicious links or manually download any malware to get infected. The program simply downloads itself. Once downloaded, the malware’s creators gain a back door that gives them unauthorized access to the victim’s computer.
Mac Flashback malware: What it is and how to get rid of it (FAQ)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-5...ware-what-it-is-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it-faq/
Apple's Mac platform has long been promoted as safer than the competition, but as Mac sales and market share grow, it's become a bigger target.
Nowhere is that clearer than with the Flashback Trojan, a gnarly piece of malware designed to steal personal information by masquerading as very mainstream browser plug-ins. Yesterday Russian antivirus company Dr. Web said that an estimated 600,000 Macs are now infected as a result of users unknowingly installing the software.
So here's a quick FAQ on the Flashback Trojan, including information on what it is, how to tell if you have it, and steps you can take to get rid of it.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/...ter-virus-indicates-mac-users-no-longer-safe/
For years, Mac users have been told that not only are they cooler than their PC counterparts, they are safer too. Apple has always held that computer viruses and malware only dogged its competitors.
That is no longer the case.
This week, security researchers discovered a new computer virus had infected half a million Mac users — about half of them in the United States. The virus is infesting users in the most surreptitious way possible: users need not manually click on any malicious links or manually download any malware to get infected. The program simply downloads itself. Once downloaded, the malware’s creators gain a back door that gives them unauthorized access to the victim’s computer.
Mac Flashback malware: What it is and how to get rid of it (FAQ)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-5...ware-what-it-is-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it-faq/
Apple's Mac platform has long been promoted as safer than the competition, but as Mac sales and market share grow, it's become a bigger target.
Nowhere is that clearer than with the Flashback Trojan, a gnarly piece of malware designed to steal personal information by masquerading as very mainstream browser plug-ins. Yesterday Russian antivirus company Dr. Web said that an estimated 600,000 Macs are now infected as a result of users unknowingly installing the software.
So here's a quick FAQ on the Flashback Trojan, including information on what it is, how to tell if you have it, and steps you can take to get rid of it.
