Apple Macs at Higher Risk of Cyber Threats in 2010 Says ‘Intego’

The fact that Mac malware is up in 2010 is evident from the revelation by security firm, Intego in its annual review titled "Year in Mac Security". This report has broken down the myth of virus writers, who were confident about developing innovative codes to undertake security threats to Apple Macs, reports pcworld on January 21, 2011.

Though the number of Mac threats is comparatively less in terms of PCs but they are still on the higher end and sophisticated Mac malware are increasingly rising.

Possibly, Koobface/Bonnana variant that installed harmful Java applet through social sites on October 2010 would be the most significant event. This instance is worth-mentioning for its capabilities of interoperating at various platforms including Mac, Windows, and Linux. This incident presents future threats for netizens with a projection that virus programmers may deploy Java more frequently in their conquests of browser malware for several platforms other than Windows.

Inclusive of the abovementioned threat, Intego also revealed the aftermath effect DNS-changing malware, 'RSPlug' discovered in 2007, which is still affecting net users. This malware is an integrated package of freeware, cracked software, and media files, reports v3 on January 21, 2011.

The report also intimated Mac users of cyber threats to be at higher risks of cyber attacks for using phishing operations and data breaches more since web-based threats of 2010 are not specifically attacking operating systems of users, reports Intego.

However, according to Mac insecurity firm, Apple requires to issue 38 security updates intended for Mac OS X along with Apple software and hardware. Some of the patches are rather large, hinting that Mac members should be in fact aware of security.

Based on the conclusion from the report, Intego even warns Mac and iOS (iPhone) users to be more attentive and be aware of attempts based on web or applications for misleading them into installation of malevolent software sometimes even through third-parties.

Related article: Apple Patches QuickTime 13 Month Old Flaw

» SPAMfighter News - 1/31/2011