Mac Defender

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Anyone got caught with the Mac Defender scam?
 
Fortunately Im a PC user and use protection rather than saying "not me, I use apple/mac";):p
 
Ah but you do a lot of IT, most of the people I now on macs believe they are "unsinkable":)
 
This could be the tip of the Iceberg. Mac's are getting more popular so we start seeing phishing scams like Mac Defender. I wonder how long it will be before the first true Mac virus appears. Years I hope , but I wouldn't put money on it
 
Mac Defender is a full piece of Malware. It's the first piece of professionally designed Malware for Macs.

There is a direct link to Market Share. In some countries, Mac market share is at the level that makes it profitable to make Malware for it. If their market share stays the same, there probably won't be much, if it rises further, as it's likely to do, Malware will start to become more of a problem, although it's still a long way from the advanced state it is on Windows.

If Malware writers like those responsible for TDL start producing malware for Macs, then we have a problem.

The main problem with Mac Malware, is the same network of support and advanced tools and resources for Malware removal, do not currently exist for Macs.
 
In the next few days Apple will be releasing a software update that will automatically remove all variations of Mac Defender.

As for the Mac getting more popular so more Malware & Virus, well this is true, but I understand that the top programmers of this type of software are leaving the computer side of it altogether, as they see a bigger and more lucrative target market in smart phones.
 
There is no evidence to suggest a widespread movement away from traditional PCs towards smartphones. It's not more lucrative, people are less likely to buy things in their phone, many don't have constant internet connection and its easy to restore to default factory settings. PCs will stay as the main platform for malware for a long time to come.
 
neil_g said:
true, i do this sh..poo for a living.. but ive been a firm believer that macs will require malware protection in the upcoming months/years.
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:notworthy: I have been saying this for the last 3 years, even before I became a mac addict and I HAVE to have some kind of security running, just can't help myself :lol: As i see it, the complacency of the mac community could ultimately end up being their downfall... :(


So here is the big question, apart from the obvious stuff like not clicking on email links, dodgy advertising, etc - what is the best way for the average Mac user to protect themselves from any future threats?
 
Yv said:
what is the best way for the average Mac user to protect themselves from any future threats?
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Follow the Ostritch...

heads+in+sand.gif


Caveat: If you think I'm having a serious pop at Mac users (or even remotely serious in any way), then more fool you... :D
 
Yv said:
So here is the big question, apart from the obvious stuff like not clicking on email links, dodgy advertising, etc - what is the best way for the average Mac user to protect themselves from any future threats?
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start looking at some of the anti-malware packages available in my opinion. to be honest i wouldnt know which is best, we're tied to a particular package at work for Windows which also covers licencing for OSX so haven't had to look.
 
So here is the big question, apart from the obvious stuff like not clicking on email links, dodgy advertising, etc - what is the best way for the average Mac user to protect themselves from any future threats?
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Leave it switched off and use as a raincoat:) well odd shaped umbrella!!!
 
Mac Defender? That would be the TdiMac 110?
 
whiteflyer said:
In the next few days Apple will be releasing a software update that will automatically remove all variations of Mac Defender.
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They're too late. There are new variants already out there. Apple is moving too slow, and I doubt they'll ever be able to keep up.

As for the OP, no. My Mac is quite safe as I only use it for specific things and don't install software on it.
 
Drama Queens, the lot of yah :D

If you use Safari then disable automatic 'safe' prog installing.

There, job done. Oh, and engage brain whilst using the intarwebby. This applies to non-Mac users too - even more so.
 
agreed, the apple update is too slow. look at how quickly the AV vendors respond to new threats, generally they already have a model in place (malware is generally based on about roughly 5 core pieces of code) and then tweek to suit.

2blue4u said:
Drama Queens, the lot of yah :D

If you use Safari then disable automatic 'safe' prog installing.

There, job done. Oh, and engage brain whilst using the intarwebby. This applies to non-Mac users too - even more so.
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indeed. doesnt stop windows users getting infected though and i suspect the mac lot will be worse as it seems most buy a mac to not have to tweek settings ;)
 
Avast does security software for Mac.

I currently use the Sophos stuff.
 
Super Simple said:
They're too late. There are new variants already out there. Apple is moving too slow, and I doubt they'll ever be able to keep up.
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AV Vendors can't keep up, let alone Apple. It's the first time they have had to deal with a variant, and I doubt they are going to constantly update to remove every new variant of Malware that will exist on Mac.

neil_g said:
agreed, the apple update is too slow. look at how quickly the AV vendors respond to new threats, generally they already have a model in place (malware is generally based on about roughly 5 core pieces of code) and then tweek to suit.
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Except that's not true.

Apple don't currently have a full Malware analysis team in place like an AV vendor does. New threats come out by the hour, there is never a point in time where an AV is covering everything.

Apple haven't had to deal with malware for a while, and whilst they were one of the early pioneers in malware research, they don't have the same systems in place to quickly produce patches like an AV Vendor. The nature of the patches is also different as well, they are not simply updating definitions to be removed like an AV vendor does.

If malware becomes an issue for Apple, they won't be constantly patching to remove it all. But, this isn't the first malware you could get on a Mac, there were various other exploits that worked on Mac's just as easily.
 
someguy201 said:
Except that's not true.

Apple don't currently have a full Malware analysis team in place like an AV vendor does. New threats come out by the hour, there is never a point in time where an AV is covering everything.

Apple haven't had to deal with malware for a while, and whilst they were one of the early pioneers in malware research, they don't have the same systems in place to quickly produce patches like an AV Vendor. The nature of the patches is also different as well, they are not simply updating definitions to be removed like an AV vendor does.

If malware becomes an issue for Apple, they won't be constantly patching to remove it all. But, this isn't the first malware you could get on a Mac, there were various other exploits that worked on Mac's just as easily.
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that was kinda mostly my point about apple..

other than the part about "there is never a point in time where an AV is covering everything". like i said there is only really 5-6 core malware codes that are then modified so the core code should get picked up, plus youve got heurstics (or however you spell it).
 
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neil_g said:
like i said there is only really 5-6 core malware codes that are then modified so the core code should get picked up, plus youve got heurstics (or however you spell it).
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Like I said, that's not true.
 
There isn't anywhere to go with it, it's just outright not true. :)

Everything would be much simpler if it was true, but malware is worth a lot of money to it's makers. It's got much more advanced than that, especially in the last couple of years.
 
Purely out of interest, how long ago did you take the course?
 
Isn't it wrong to be comparing the malware team at Apple to the malware teams at security vendors?

There are plenty of free Mac AV/security software available, it's a no brainer to use it.
 
But the security vendors writing software should have dedicated teams, as do the security vendors writing software for Windows.
 
Craikeybaby said:
But the security vendors writing software should have dedicated teams, as do the security vendors writing software for Windows.
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im not disagreeing with you. but its something apple are going to have to dedicate more time towards moving forward, a week or two to implement a system update to stop this malicous/phishing code is too long.
 
To be fair, it's the persons responsibility in the first place not to get infected. Using common sense would prevent anyone getting infected with the Mac defender malware.

I'm not sure to what extent Apple has any responsibility to provide support for the issue at all.
 
someguy201 said:
I'm not sure to what extent Apple has any responsibility to provide support for the issue at all.
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true.

i think however that until most mac users accept that they need some anti-malware protection apple have some responsibily maybe?

moreso as they market OSX as being more secure and not needing additional applications. (see here - http://www.apple.com/macosx/security/)
 
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They can still maintain that for the moment, it's possible in the future they might have inbuilt AV and constant updates for new malware.

AV Vendors might object under Anti-trust laws, but that would be a tricky claim to make if Apple were simply patching and defending their own product.
 
I think the support pages for Mac Defender went up pretty quickly, not sure exactly. There are official apple removal instructions somewhere.
 
someguy201 said:
They can still maintain that for the moment, it's possible in the future they might have inbuilt AV and constant updates for new malware.

AV Vendors might object under Anti-trust laws, but that would be a tricky claim to make if Apple were simply patching and defending their own product.
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yeah its a bit of a grey area, the AV vendors may object as technically OSX doesnt run scans etc.

im not sure if theyd be able to do it in the same way there'd be hell if MS started hard coding MSE into windows :lol:
 
I was browsing the web just now on a loan macbook and clicked on a perfectly normal site and had Mac Defender pop up with an click 'OK' box type thing. I tried to quit safari but it downloaded something in milliseconds. But the box it then popped up I closed quickly. I have checked various things that I have seen that should show up if it installed and I think I might have stopped it just about.

Worrying though.
 
Will

If you go to the Apple web site there are instructions on how to remove this Trojan. You may not have it installed sd you didn't get the request to install the app on the computer. Might be worthwhile checking your downloads folder for it and then trashing it.

It may be worthwhile going to the Safari preferences and untick the "download safe file" option. Apple seem to think that a zip file is "safe" hence the the problem with automatic downloads of this little beatstie
 
Chappers said:
Will

If you go to the Apple web site there are instructions on how to remove this Trojan. You may not have it installed sd you didn't get the request to install the app on the computer. Might be worthwhile checking your downloads folder for it and then trashing it.

It may be worthwhile going to the Safari preferences and untick the "download safe file" option. Apple seem to think that a zip file is "safe" hence the the problem with automatic downloads of this little beatstie
Click to expand...

I did all the things to check and it seems it didn't install and I was lucky. I have unticked the safe download option. Hopefully safe now! When it popped up my heart raced a bit! :gag:
 
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