Apple Has A Viiirrrruuussss - Mac OS Suffers First Trojan Attack

[matcom]

<snip>

Thanks to Apple Computer's rising star in the world of digital music, Mac OS X has become a target for malware authors.

A Trojan horse, called MP3Concept or MP3Virus.gen, has been discovered that masquerades as an MP3 file. It hides in ID tags of the file and becomes activated when unwary users click on it, expecting to play a digital song.

"This is the first native Mac OS virus we've found," said Brian Davis, U.S. sales manager for Intego, a Mac security and privacy firm that discovered the Trojan.

The Trojan is benign, according to Intego. If launched, it doesn't do anything except access files in the System folder. But Intego warned that the code could be modified easily to delete files or hijack a machine and replicate itself through e-mail.

"This is likely a test Trojan showing these things are possible," said Davis. "There's definitely an open door we don't want to leave open."

The Trojan appears to be the first malicious code for Mac OS X, which was launched in March 2001.

http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,63000,00.html

[GOPisEvil]

1. There goes that argument for getting a Mac...

...they are CUTER than PCs; I'll give them that. ;-)

Just kidding Apple folks - my first computer was a IIe.

[cjbuchanan]

2. Oh, our baby has grown up

I remember the days (yesterday to be exact) when no self respecting hacker would hit Apple products.

[markus]

3. Huh?

There were a long list of Mac OS virii, all disk-borne, back in the days when all my Mac ran the lovely, free Disinfectant INIT (and that's a long time ago. My primary machine was an SE/30 with the accelerator card that took it up to 66), and I was so exicted to get our first Quadra in production.

[Atman]

5. WOO HOO! We're legit now!

One Trojan horse down, about a gazillion to go, and we'll be as "good" as Windows!

As for your old disk-borne viri, that was a looooong time ago. Apple built in protection against them in the next OS upgrade, and I never had one since. But that was, like, a decade okay, wasn't it?

[markus]

6. Like a *really* long time ago

Actually, I was still using Macs in the pre-press industry before I moved on about five or six years ago now. We were using commercial anti-virus software.

I left just about the time Mac was moving from OS8 to OS9. I'd love to get a Mac again. I wish to hell they'd just give up and port OSX to the Intel platform.

The only complaint I ever had about the Mac was the lack of a command line. Now it's got one, and it UNIX to boot! Life would be grand.

[underpants]

4. That's what they get for trying to be different

Ooooh lok at me I'm a rebel I use a Mac. I'm so cooooooool. Look at me I do graphics I'm much more creative than you accountants..... :grr:

:bounce: just kidding. Well that is the second thing I have learned today-Macs don't usually get viruses and what this whole Good friday is about.

[kerryin2004]

7. alright!!

If I was mcafee or norton I would have been working on one of these a long time ago to boost sales.

[DarkPhenyx]

8. 1:20 Gates' fingerprints are on it.

[trotsky]

9. No, no, no - it can't be!

Macintosh is INVULNERABLE to viruses/worms/trojans. </sarcasm>

[mrfrapp]

10. It's not an attack

It's a proof of concept. It even says so in the article.

[supernova]

11. Apple had to lose their virginity sometime

;-)

My how the mighty have fallen.

[NewHampster]

12. Apples with worms are only good for cider

Take them all and throw them in the crusher.

[DS1]

13. Get a Mac!

It cures all!

[jmowreader]

14. This is bad news for Linux heads...

Since Mac OS X is Unix-based, and Linux is a variant of Unix, any malware written for OS X should be easily portable to Linux.

Quick note for all you OS X users who listen to MP3: create an account that doesn't have administrator privileges and log in as that user. This will limit any damage a malicious program can cause.