SophosLabs distributed a press release today, warning Mac users of a new Trojan named Troj/MacSwp-B (also known as Imunizator). Essentially, the Trojan tries to scare Mac users into purchasing unnecessary software by claiming that privacy issues have been discovered on the computer. Once installed, the user is infected.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, touts the same banner I do in this blog in the follow excerpt..
Windows users are no stranger to scareware like this, but it is rarer on the Apple Macintosh. Nevertheless MacSwp-B’s discovery does follow fast on the heels of other malware that has been identitifed on the Mac OS X platform in recent months
Mr. Cluley continues..
Cybercrime against Mac users may be small in comparison to Windows attacks, but it is growing. Apple Macintosh users need to learn from the mistakes made by their Windows cousins in the past and ensure that they have defenses in place, are up-to-date with patches and exercise caution about what they run on their computer.
This is definitely sound advice and I would recommend this course of action to any PC user, whether they be Vista, Mac, or Ubuntu. What I do take exception to is this response to the press release from MacDailyNews:
You mean don’t fall for a dumbass Trojan? Relax, we’re Mac users, dudes. And, we do take personal computer security seriously, that’s one of the reasons we have Macs. As always, do not download, authorize, and install software from unknown, untrusted Websites or any other sources.
No, what you are are USERS, Mac, PC or otherwise. You and your ilk WILL one day install something you shouldn’t.
You did not purchase the Mac because you take personal computer security seriously. I know a few Mac users, and their buying decisions were NOT based on security, but rather style and functionality. In fact, with regards to security, I liken Mac users to the three little pigs in the straw house – sure, your doors are locked, but no one has really come by to blow your house down.
Welcome to the party Mac. Oink.
When not referring to himself in the third person, Brian likes rain and getting caught in Pina Coladas. Oh, and let's not forget making love to Cape dunes. Yeah, those really do it for me....er, um.. I mean Brian.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I have a few friends and colleagues who use an assortment of MAC systems, we won’t get to the one I have in mind whose MAC lies dormant because she cannot figure out how to use the dumb thing. Mostly these users are using so little of the MAC that they feel sort of protected. And much to their character, if they were to use the MAC in an environment other than internet and the i___(fill in the blank) tiny little worlds they live in, they would know the big bad wolf is stalking, has claimed a few prey and likes the taste. He will be back folks, and with a vengeance. I stand shrugging off this mentality because i live and function in the real world with real problems and predators. Here is a quote we all know, from John Donne — “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.” You can keep praising the lord Steve Jobs, but when the stuff hits the fan, be prepared for a canned speech that has been years in the making.
April 1st, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I have to add that these mac users probably did buy their macs because they want better security, and for now they got it. They did not get it because mac is safer than windows or linux. They got security because NOBODY CARES ABOUT APPLE USERS. You should take care of your system to make sure you don’t get viruses, spyware, adware, or any of the liking. I have used a single windows install for about 2 years now. I have had no problems, except for 1 corrupt file. I have not been the victim of any sort of attack, not because windows is safer than any other os but because I actually am security minded and don’t do dumb stuff on the internet, and I know where to go to be safe. I can’t wait for the day when mac users are ridiculously confused on how in the world they got a virus when they were “supposed to be immune” to them.