SierraEx Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 INSECURITY RESEARCHERS have revealed that Apple secretly slipped some extra malware protection into its latest Mac OS X software update. The Mac OS X 10.6.4 update issued earlier this week included a revision of XProtect.plist, a file that contains elementary signatures of a handful of Mac threats, to detect a piece of malware called “HellRTS”. That is the name Apple has given the backdoor Trojan also known as Pinhead-B, which has been observed in the wild since April. The Trojan targets Mac OS users, disguised as Apple’s popular Iphoto application, and can allow remote hackers to gain control over Mac computers and any sensitive personal data on them. But there was no mention of the XProtect.plist revision in the release notes or security advisory Apple released with this week’s software update. Graham Cluely, senior technology consultant at Sophos, the security firm that highlighted the secret update, told The INQUIRER he didn’t know why Apple had singled out HellRTS to add to the XProtect.plist file or why it chose to keep this quiet. “It could be that this Trojan got a lot of media attention when it was discovered,” said Cluely. “But there is other malware out there in the wild currently targeting Macs that Apple hasn’t touched. “It's almost as if they don't want to acknowledge that there could be a malware threat on Mac OS X.” He added that Pinhead-B / HellRTS is a particularly nasty Trojan though, as a precursor to identity theft, spying and the distribution of spam. “It’s good to see Apple adding some anti-malware protection, but it’s not the same as anti-virus software protection,” he said. Apple had not responded to a request for comment from The INQUIRER at the time of writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookjedi Posted June 20, 2010 Report Share Posted June 20, 2010 Aaaaaahhh ... Fuck. I knew they are gonna make a virus or w/e for it eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aero Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 Was only a matter of time. Even Linux, being an open-source OS, is a victim. Personally, I think it's due to the popularity of the OS is what hackers will target the most. Windows, being the most used on the current market is going to be the most targeted OS. As more and more people switch to Mac/Linux, the more malware will surface for them. It's Sociology 101. The more something is a trend, the more attention it will get. All it takes is that one motivated mind amongst thousands to crack the security on an OS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardy Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 macs arn't very secure. i took the the screen apart with a screwdriver bought from a hardware store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theos Sairin Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 macs arn't very secure. i took the the screen apart with a screwdriver bought from a hardware store.i lol'd! but yeah it's true, nothing is foolproof... it had to happen sooner or later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 Was only a matter of time. Even Linux, being an open-source OS, is a victim. Personally, I think it's due to the popularity of the OS is what hackers will target the most. Windows, being the most used on the current market is going to be the most targeted OS. As more and more people switch to Mac/Linux, the more malware will surface for them. It's Sociology 101. The more something is a trend, the more attention it will get. All it takes is that one motivated mind amongst thousands to crack the security on an OS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startana Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Was only a matter of time. Even Linux, being an open-source OS, is a victim. Personally, I think it's due to the popularity of the OS is what hackers will target the most. Windows, being the most used on the current market is going to be the most targeted OS. As more and more people switch to Mac/Linux, the more malware will surface for them. It's Sociology 101. The more something is a trend, the more attention it will get. All it takes is that one motivated mind amongst thousands to crack the security on an OS. I agree that windows larger market share is a motivating factor for people to write malicious code targeting it, but the fact is that all os's other than windows (Linux, Mac OS, FreeBSD, etc) are all naturally more secure than any windows box due to the way they handle access to memory. I'm not saying any of them are immune by any means, just more resistant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperHetero Posted June 24, 2010 Report Share Posted June 24, 2010 Was only a matter of time. Even Linux, being an open-source OS, is a victim. Personally, I think it's due to the popularity of the OS is what hackers will target the most. Windows, being the most used on the current market is going to be the most targeted OS. As more and more people switch to Mac/Linux, the more malware will surface for them. It's Sociology 101. The more something is a trend, the more attention it will get. All it takes is that one motivated mind amongst thousands to crack the security on an OS.http://www.wornthrough.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/professor-jones1.jpg Interesting. I Concur with my colleague. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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