Google reveals trio of security vulnerabilities in OS X
Google’s Project Zero has released information on three as yet unpatched vulnerabilities in Apple’s OS X operating system, reports Ars Technica.
Browsing category
Google’s Project Zero has released information on three as yet unpatched vulnerabilities in Apple’s OS X operating system, reports Ars Technica.
Mac OS X is a slick, easy-to-use operating system with an impressive record on security – and basic malware detection built in since 2009’s Snow Leopard update. While Macs have seen sales slowing in the past year, due largely to losing market share to their own stablemates, iPads, and other mobile devices, they’re a growing
As both Macs and Mac malware increase in prevalence, the importance of testing the software intended to supplement the internal security of OS X increases too. But testing security products on Mac is tricky, due to Apple’s own countermeasures. Can it be made easier?
Does your Apple Mac need antivirus software, or any other kind of security software? This question has been asked repeatedly over the years and I think the “correct’ answer has changed over time.
If you recently acquired an Apple Mac computer there are several simple steps you can take to protect your new machine, and all of the valuable information you will be storing on it.
Does the expression ‘In the Wild’ still mean anything today? Well yes, in the sense of something that is ‘out there’ threatening real-world systems. But things move a lot faster these days than they did in the 90s and later, fastburning mass-mailers notwithstanding. Just a few days ago (on the 30th of November, to be
A new attack against Apple Mac OS X Lion (10.7) has been detected by Intego. The threat is a Trojan, dubbed Flashback, installed via a fake Adobe Flash installer downloaded from a third party site. As with the MacDefender and Revir malware, the Flashback attack uses social engineering to entice the user to download then
The MacDefender malware has morphed again, now taking the guise of “MacShield.” As in the case of its oldest sibling MacDefender, the MacShield variant has taken the name of a legitimate Mac OSX software product with small distribution, doubtless causing the real developer significant heartache. The UI is essentially unchanged, but as usual all
The recent MacDefender Trojan has been receiving “rebranding” facelifts since it came out. It has now been deployed as MacProtector, MacDetector, MacSecurity, Apple Security Center, and there are no doubt more iterations to come. The malware has been updated, and now sports an improved UI that looks like a native Mac OSX application, unlike the
You may have seen some headlines today about a New Java Trojan that attacks Macs. It turns out that it also attacks Windows and Linux users as well. The Trojan pretends to be a video on Facebook. A user gets a message asking “is this you in this video” with a link. Upon clicking the
A spyware application Intego calls OSX/OpinionSpy is being spread as part of the installation process for a number of screensavers and other apps.
No, I’m not talking about a newly-discovered and virulent OS X upconversion of SevenDust or AutoStart 9805. Mac Virus is a site founded by Susan Lesch in the 1990s, when pre-OS X Mac-specific malware was still a serious issue – AutoStart in particular caused significant damage back then – and cross-platform macro viruses were also a major
I’m often exasperated by blinkered mindsets in the Mac community, of the security-related kind that Randy highlighted in a recent blog. You might have picked up a certain irritation in some of my blogs around the end of last month relating to Snow Leopard and malware detection, too. So it was refreshing to come across a light
An interesting comment was made to my last blog on Snow Leopard, Mac malware and all that. I’ve approved the comment, but since people who read the blog earlier won’t necessarily go back to see what comments it’s attracted, I’ll answer it here, at more length. Mac User said that “Currently, the only way to get
Mac User has reported in a little more detail than I’ve seen elsewhere so far on the Trojan detection in Snow Leopard, quoting freelance OS X and iPhone developer Matt Gemmell. In fact, the meat of the story is Gemmell’s tweets, which state that:the system checks for only two known Trojans, RSPlug and iServices, and
I really ought to be working towards some really urgent deadlines, but I can’t resist a quick comment on the antimalware detection feature in Snow Leopard – darn, I’m going to have to upgrade to get a proper look at it – since several AV people, including our own Aryeh Goretsky have commented. I have
Some of you may have recently read of researchers discovering a botnet that is using Mac computers. Are you surprised? Well, perhaps if you drink the Apple flavored Kool-Aid you are, but if you understand operating systems at all then this is really not at all surprising. Operating systems are designed to run programs. A
When I write about Mac issues, I usually find myself abused by individuals convinced that there are no Mac viruses, never were any Mac viruses, and never could be any Mac viruses. Less advanced cases sometimes admit that there is Mac malware (and malware that isn’t Mac-specific, but can affect Mac users), but buy into
I just picked up a comment made today on a post Randy made about the comparative security of Macs and PCs. Since the original post goes back to 2006, it seems a pity to bury the comment on a page most people won’t get to. In fact, since the comment reproduces an article in PC