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Apple FUD Ping!
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Posted on 11/19/2010 11:04:07 PM PST by Swordmaker
The quantity of malware targeted at the Mac platform has been highlighted since the roll out of a free Mac anti-virus solution.
Since it launched its free Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition software, Sophos has reported that there has been 150,000 downloads and from this it has determined the most commonly encountered malware that these Mac users are encountering.
The most popular is Mal/ASDFDldr-A, what Sophos detects as malicious files that use the scripting capability of Microsoft Media Player to force your web browser to visit an infected site.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said: “Normally the infected media files are blank (no music, no video) but they are distributed posing as music from Lady Gaga, ABBA, Madonna, etc. They are several megabytes in size due to null padding so there is definitely nothing to lose and everything to gain by erasing them.”
Its top 20 chart of detections includes several Java-based attacks which Sophos claimed were cross-platform and may have been found in internet caches by users who were hit by a drive-by attack. There is also some Mac OS X-specific malware in there such as OSX/Jahlav and DNS Changer which are well known Mac Trojans that are typically disguised by hackers on BitTorrent sites, or planted on websites as alluring downloads or plugins to view videos.
In 19th place of the top 20 was the Conficker worm. “Conficker, of course, cannot infect Macs but it does spread via USB drives, so I imagine that Mac users are encountering this when Windows users share an infected thumb drive with them,” Cluley said.
“That is a good opportunity for Mac users to feel good about themselves, even if they could not have been infected by Conficker they can feel a bit smug that their Mac anti-virus was able to show up an insecure Windows user.
“Aside from these stats, we've received a fair amount of anecdotal evidence that Mac users who have never scanned their drives before with an anti-virus are finding suspicious files. We do not see as much Mac malware as Windows malware. But that does not mean that Mac users can afford to have their heads in the sand about about protecting their precious computers.
“Unfortunately, so long as Mac users do not properly defend themselves they will increasingly be perceived as a soft target by cyber criminals.”
What do you recommend for Mac users? Is it time to get antivirus software? Is there a good free one, like with PCs?
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Is Sophos for real — or the ultimate intruder?
Windows users normally load up their computers with antivirus and anti-spyware programs. As a result, the typical PC is like the Great Wall of China. On the other hand, you have arrogant Mac users who believe they’re invincible and don’t bother to protect themselves. Virus writers eventually start taking note of this and focus their efforts on Macs.
I don't think it is necessary. The only real threats are Trojans. There are seventeen known Trojans in just four families... and a fully up to date OSX install will warn you that you are attempting to download one of them.
Sophos was founded in 1985 and was aways industrial
strength for the U.S. and European business market.
It started as a security software company offering
encryption software and security products.
In 2000 they started offering anti-virus technology
to the Business markets.
It is headquartered in Abingdon, UK and Burlington,
Massachusetts.
I don't recall them ever offering a product for the home user market before.
There is some truth behind that belief. It has now been ten years since the release of Mac OSX and the number of self-replicating, self-transmitting, self-installing viruses in the wild is STILL ZERO! There are only seventeen known Trojan horse programs in four families, and the OS itself will warn you if you attempt to download or install one of them or a variant from one of the known families. There is no spyware.
The virus writers MAY be turning their attention to the Mac, but they are finding that writing malware for the Mac is at least an order of magnitude more difficult than writing for Windows. THEN, your hypothetical malware writer has to find a viable vector to spread his hypothetical Mac virus. So far the only one that works at all is social engineering—persuade the user to download and install it—I.e., a Trojan. Every other attempt has failed, miserably.
I have a free iAntiVirus. I have never had a virus. Either it works or just like to read 0 or protects. I have never had a Windows like virus thats for sure or any such. I am 2 years with my first Macbook pro. Also have on second Mac Mini. It doesn’t hurt thats for sure. It has a weekly schedule. I hope this helps. http://www.iantivirus.com/
bookmark
Bullshit. This is just an advertisement. If you needed to worry about virus on MacOS, you would already know it, because it would manifest itself the same way it does on Windows. Relax, you’ll be fine.
Defiant, as far as Sophos is concerned, the answer is a BIG no. I work in a mac environment, in a school district. We’re in the process of moving from Sophos to another solution, largely due to anomalous issues we tied back to Sophos. Their products are okay on PCs. It was just on the macs, and the xServes, that we had problems. Our mac server guy uses their name like a swear word, if that tells you anything. It’s not that they’re completely awful, either. But, when you combine the sort of performance we had with their product, and the FUD, a sample of which is in the article, I’d just say no. To be fair, we don’t have torrent-related issues in the district, or much like that. Our primary reason for antivirus on the macs is to protect the few PCs we have. But I wouldn’t worry so much about it at this time. I hope that helps.
ABBA? What year is this; 1975?
The detection of malware from Redmond is what brought about the development of the Mac in the first place. :’)
Since it launched its free Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition software, Sophos has reported that there has been 150,000 downloads and from this it has determined the most commonly encountered malware that these Mac users are encountering.Are they saying that Microsoft (Windows) Media Player runs on Mac OS-X???? I've got Flip4Mac, but that's not Media Player. WTF?The most popular is Mal/ASDFDldr-A, what Sophos detects as malicious files that use the scripting capability of Microsoft Media Player to force your web browser to visit an infected site.
I have Norton for my Mac. Probably overkill, but that’s what I have.
Thanks guys for the answers. I appreciate the information. I think I probably don’t need antivirus right now, but I understand that some people use it out of an abundance of caution. I’m glad I don’t absolutely have to use it yet, one less thing to worry about on my Macs. On PCs, the antivirus issue has become less of a problem, with stronger CPUs and free programs like Microsoft Security Essentials. The slowdowns and expense of antivirus protection are far less than they were. But it is still more of a pain than on Macs.
I’m not as concerned for myself as much as avoiding the possibility of emailing some infected file to a friend with a PC :)
Just kidding. Between my office and home, I have 4 PCs, 3 laptops, 2 Mac Laptops, one Mac desktop, an iPod Touch, iPad, 2 android phones, a blackberry, 3 dogs and 2 cats. Technology run amok.
Agreed. It reads like an advertisement.
In 20 years of using Macs and being around them, I’ve never heard of one person having had a virus.
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