Mac virus / malware catch-all thread

[CubaMark]

Did search to find a suitable virus / malware thread to put this in, but nothing from the last year came up So...

I caught this quote in an article on the Kaspersky lab news service (ThreatPost), where the author is complaining that Snow Leopard's malware catcher hasn't been updated with anything recent. Anyone have details?

	Quote:
	Apple has not seen it fit to expand the signature base to catch the growing list of DNS-Changer threats that specifically target the Mac operating system.

[chas_m]

This is all they've got?? The Mac is in even better shape than I thought it was.

[Bjornbro]

Can I include a warning for pre OS X users about a Startup Worm that was found on a MacAddict CD from December, 1998? It's harmless, but lookout!

	Quote:			Originally Posted by Bjornbro
	Can I include a warning for pre OS X users about a Startup Worm that was found on a MacAddict CD from December, 1998? It's harmless, but lookout!

LOL .. the autostart worm. It's actually really good that it didn't have a payload, because it was VERY pervasive.

[WestWeb]

	Quote:			Originally Posted by chas_m
	This is all they've got?? The Mac is in even better shape than I thought it was.

+1

I keep hearing how "our time is coming...", and it's only a matter of time before crackers start attacking the Mac. When these crackers figure out a way to hack UNIX and change permissions, so they can actually do something to my Mac, I will be worried. Until then... EAT FIREWALL, CRACKERS!

[chas_m]

Yeah, I've been hearing about how the Mac's increasing popularity will cause there to be a wave of Mac viruses which will (in turn) catch all us complacent Mac owners completely off-guard ... since at least 2003. Yawn.

[eMacMan]

Haven't really been paying attention but what is the Trojan/Viral count for Windows 7?

[SoyMac]

	Quote:			Originally Posted by chas_m
	Yeah, I've been hearing about how the Mac's increasing popularity will cause there to be a wave of Mac viruses which will (in turn) catch all us complacent Mac owners completely off-guard ... since at least 2003. Yawn.

Yep. I remember otherwise intelligent friends telling me they were staying with their virus-ridden Windows PCs, and not switching to Apple, because it was "just a matter of time before Macs get viruses too!"

I think that was about 6 years ago (yes, '03).

A few of them still haven't switched.

[polywog]

	Quote:			Originally Posted by WestWeb
	+1 I keep hearing how "our time is coming...", and it's only a matter of time before crackers start attacking the Mac. When these crackers figure out a way to hack UNIX and change permissions, so they can actually do something to my Mac, I will be worried. Until then... EAT FIREWALL, CRACKERS!

Crackers have been doing it for ages. It's difficult - the architecture makes it tough for one, but more importantly there's usually a UNIX savvy administrator making sure nothing bad happens. I'd wager the vast majority of OS X users aren't UNIX savvy at all.

Keep in mind - a malicious application doesn't need any special permissions - if you run it, it's running as you, and has read/write access to your home directory. I don't know about you, but that's the only directory I care at all about. Granted, that's nothing that a good backup can't address, but assuming you're untouchable is a dangerous position to take.

[ehMax]

I have always, always said. Mac's don't have security via obscurity. Can you imagine the hacker folklore of the first hacker to make a legitimate virus* for the Mac?

* virus |ˈvīrəs|
noun
- a piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data.