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Mac Malware

Macs are not virus proof. As the platform becomes more popular, it grows more attractive to virus writers. Here is one example.

Porn Video Lure
Articles at ZDNet and Slashdot describe a porn site that lures the user into infecting his own machine.

The target must click through a series of screens to become infected but once the Trojan is installed, it has full control of the machine.

In order for the attack to work, the victim must cooperate in his own demise.

Virus vs. Trojan Horse
Some readers of this article will argue “That’s not a virus. It’s a Trojan horse”. My response: So what. In the end the machine is broken, and the user will need to waste valuable time and money making things right.

What Users Can Do
First, don’t install strange software. Second, be wary of any site that asks you to download something on your machine. Third, make regular backups of your data. Sometimes the best way to recover from an attack is to wipe & rebuild the machine. It’s much easier to wipe & rebuild when you know your backup data is safe.

Making Regular Backups
Speaking of backups, Mac OS X (Leopard) has a feature called Time Machine that makes backups effortless. Time Machine is the killer app that justified the Leopard purchase for me.

Mac OS X is a very stable and well-built operating system. Still, it was designed and built by humans. Humans are imperfect, therefore the things created by humans are imperfect. When it comes to attacks, it’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when. Be prepared.

Posted November 7, 2007 by Raymond T. Hightower