[NPMUG] Fwd: apple viruses

[Bruce Wells]

Got this from my brother.  Anything to be concerned about?  Old news?

CuZinBruce

Begin forwarded message:

Subject: apple viruses


http://www.salon.com/tech/giga_om/mac_love/2009/01/26/more_mac_viruses_similar_sources_time_to_worry

More Mac Viruses, Similar Sources: Time to Worry?

Darrell Etherington

Jan. 26, 2009 |

Depending on how closely you stick to the word of the law, you may or  
may not be aware of the potentially dangerous trojan called  
“OSX.Trojan.iServices.A” unleashed on some of the Mac community last  
week via a pirated copy of iWork ‘09. The trojan, discovered by Mac  
security software company Intego, allows the distributor of the  
malicious software to access and modify the affected system remotely,  
performing actions such as adding files. Such a vulnerability is  
potentially fatal to an operating system.

According to Intego’s numbers, more than 20,000 people have downloaded  
the affected file, a number which also says something about Apple’s  
ability (or desire?) to curb piracy of its proprietary software.  
Instructions on how to rid your computer of the virus in case you are  
among that unlucky 20,000 can be found here, but they can’t take away  
your shame.

This week, another round of infections has appeared, this time  
targeting a different, but similar group of pirates. The victims are  
users who downloaded a pirated copy of Adobe’s popular photo editing  
program, Photoshop CS4. Again, the people responsible for finding and  
broadcasting the existence of the trojan are Intego. This one is aptly  
dubbed “OSX.Trojan.iServices.B”, and actually comes from the serial  
generator that packages with the Photoshop installer, and not the  
installer itself. The CS4 trojan presents the same risks as the iWork  
‘09 version. Intego reports 5,000 downloads to date.

With two such high-profile virus detections coming so closely on each  
other’s heels, the question inevitably arises: Is Mac’s status as a  
highly secure option to Windows in danger? Clearly, Mac users are  
beginning to present a more attractive target to hackers, because the  
platform itself is becoming more popular. Not only that, but Mac users  
may be even more susceptible than others, since they traditionally  
haven’t had to worry much about malicious attacks.

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