Popularity of Apple Devices Attracting Malware

Security firm Intego has added to the throng of year-in-review pieces for the last year (2009) with an all-inclusive report on Mac Security of 2009. The report mentions that the fame of the Apple devices like laptops and Mac desktops drew the notice of malware creators in 2009.

Intego stated in its report that after a latest launch of an update for Apple's iWork '09 collection of software, developers of malware at once launched the iServices Trojan in the form of a supplement concealed inside an user's installer, installing bootlegged variants from BitTorrent as well as other grey/black market purveyors of plagiarized software.

Regardless of the fact that it was a 450 MB file, Intego discovered that in a short notice of time, over 20,000 people had installed the plagiarized software. Together with the authentic functions, they got a Trojan, which opened a backdoor on their Mac systems that connected the compromised systems to remote servers discharging fresh code. This efficiently enrolled the infected systems in a botnet indulged in DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) assaults and other wicked actions.

The report by Intego further informed that seeing the successful execution, the same cyber gang launched the fresh version of its malware embedded in Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Macs, which is again circulated through BitTorrent. In April 2009, Intego found proof-of-concept malware "Tored.A" developed in RealBasic code.

It should be noted that this independent application made attempts to copy itself to the root folders on Mac systems, thereby siphoning e-mail IDs from Mac utility address book and then sending malware-laden e-mails. The virus can also link the PC of the user to a botnet and record the keystrokes performed.

Lastly, the report claimed that although the Apple operating system is safer as compared to the Windows systems, several safety concerns involved vulnerabilities in software for these systems.

Although the previous year witnessed a startling surge in malware attacks targeted at the Mac platforms, the condition may be grimmer, as per the report. The report cautions that most of these OS vulnerabilities unlock the door for several unknown malware attacks.

Related article: Popular Firefox Inching Towards Malware’s Target

» SPAMfighter News - 2/3/2010