Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Swordmaker
The Mac boards (and the anti-virus companies) call both Oompa-A and Inqtana-A viruses, though technically they are both trojans.
11 posted on 08/27/2008 10:56:56 AM PDT by Knitebane (Happily Microsoft free since 1999.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies ]


To: Knitebane
The Mac boards (and the anti-virus companies) call both Oompa-A and Inqtana-A viruses, though technically they are both trojans.

Neither OSX.Oompa-Loompa.A (also called OSX.Leap.A) nor OSX.Inqtana.A are viruses—although both Oompa and Inqtana had code that was supposed to make them self-transmitting—nor have they ever been seen outside of a computer security company lab. They were proof-of-concept Trojans that DID NOT WORK.

Inqtana was an attempt to create a virus that would spread over Bluetooth. It was supposed to then write itself to all files in its home folder (ignoring the fact that OS X prevents that from happening). To receive it the victim would have to accept a download over Bluetooth from an unknown source, giving permission to do so, the install it, again giving permission to the system to do so, and then run it for the first time, also giving permission. In reality it was merely a failed Trojan. Inqtana tried to exploit a vulnerability in Bluetooth that had been closed for over a year at the time.

Oompa was another attempt at self-transmission, this time attempting to infect Bonjour active computers on a LAN. It took two Apple software Engineers, two computer security specialists from Secunia, and some journalists from Macworld over six hours to merely get it to copy itself to the target Mac... and then it didn't work. Again, it was a proof-of-concept.

Both were two-day wonders in the computer punditry and then were recognized for what they were. They were never in the wild.

13 posted on 08/27/2008 12:21:48 PM PDT by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE is "AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson