“Is the sky falling in on our smug little Mac universe? On Tuesday, there was news of a security hole in Apple’s Safari web browser that allows a system to be compromised by merely visiting a website. And last week, the first worm to pose a serious threat to Mac OS X, Leap-A or Oompa Loompa, raised its ugly little head,” Leander Kahney writes for Wired News.
“I’m not going to be running any anti-virus software anytime soon, just as I haven’t run it for many years,” Kahney writes. “Also, I’m not going to turn off any preferences that make my daily computing habits any less convenient (the browser takeover is protected against by disabling the ‘Open safe files after downloading’ preference in Safari). The smuggest of smug Mac users is right: the platform is more secure, and these new security threats are no more threatening that a paraplegic kitten.”
“These Mac security holes are a storm in a teacup. They’ve inspired hundreds of stories in the press and even the national network news, but if they were Windows holes, no one would have blinked. That’s because holes in Windows are routine, business as usual, while it now appears the Mac is under attack thanks to Apple’s brand-new high profile. But this isn’t the case,” Kahney writes. “Last month, there were four ‘massive’ virus attacks on Windows, according to Commtouch, an antispam and antivirus vendor. Indeed, viruses are now so aggressive, they routinely outpace attempts by antivirus companies to distribute protective signatures. This state of affairs is now so common, I hadn’t noticed — and I work for a technology news site.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews reader “Judge Bork” for the link.]
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Related articles:
Report: Apple developing fix for automatic execution of shell scripts – February 21, 2006
Ars Technica: Fears over new Mac OS X ‘Leap-A’ trojan pointless – February 20, 2006
Datamonitor: ‘Mac OS is just as vulnerable to malware as Windows’ – February 20, 2006
I suspect that the rise in Mac market share is frightening the AV software companies. Their profits from Mac versions has probably plummeted in the last couple of years (zero?). If Mac continues to be virus-free and more and more Macs come into use, that means fewer windows sales. Oooo, scary.
The BBC calls these “serious security bugs” and labels them as “viruses”
Still, I don’t see the day when my Macs will have hundreds of viruses and spyware programs like my friends’ Windows PC’s and laptops have.
I work in a hospital in Philadelphia (I’m a doctor) and our whole hospital’s computer network has been down for 2 days now due to a Windoze virus. It has been complete chaos here! I’m the only one who finds it mildly amusing and ironic because I told the guy who is in charge of IT 5 years ago that they should switch to a Unix-based alternative – the Macintosh platform or some Linux distro. He laughed at me and told me that both Linux and the Mac platform would be history in 5-10 years. Egg on his face, fool!!!
Have fun cleaning up over 6000 PeeCees!
Dear All,
Thanks for all the positive feedback.
I wonder if I download the file and transfer it to my OS9 computer and try to open it, would it infect it too? If it were a true JPEG, it would open with no problems. If it were a malicious script, then would it be rendered harmless because OS9 won’t recognize it?
Yep, loada crap. I agree.
Qman –
sometimes the BBC lets proper journalists write stories, sometimes they let some idiot do a cut and paste job with press releases from companies with a financial interest in the story.
Sadly this story is poorly researched. But right at the end, long after the lurid headlines, it doe say “The risk to users from the virus is almost non-existent because the variants are only proof-of-concept bugs and none have been released to the wild. “
So even the BBC has to admit that it’s a non-story after all.
Hold on a minute! Is this guy saying a paraplegic kitten is not a hazard?
Let’s get clear on this.
You could trip over it.
You could step on it and kill it but slip on it’s remains.
You could roll over on it in bed and smother (but it could BITE!)
You could get a furball…
Let’s not underestimate the threat here from kittens..
That’s all I’m saying
pr: Even worse, you could be stalked by overzealous celebrities fighting for the rights of paraplegic kittens everywhere. Paralyzed fur is murder! Or something . . .
Reality Check…
This is the same thing that’s “discovered” about every six months since there was a Mac OS.
This is the Mac equivalent of naming a file hotnekkidbritney.jpg.exe on a Windows machine.
90% of Windows users out there will think it’s a jpeg because, by default Windows hides the extensions.
This is the IDENTICAL mechanism used by the MP3Concept “virus”of late 2004, which makes it a joke, because Secunia lists THAT one as “Very Low Risk”.
Moreover, this issue of forging file metatdata to hide an executable has existed on the Mac since 1894.
The advice to turn off “Safe” file handlig in Safari is VERY GOOD ADVICE.
I just sent $20 to the PKF. They’ll be so cute in their kittle wheelchairs, but mice will be running wild.
“. . . but mice will be running wild.”
Yes, but there are three blind ones who keep getting their white canes stuck in the spokes. It’s all just so sad.
Thanks for giving, neomonkey. Part of the funds are going to research for new protective airbags for all four paws. The research videos are reminiscent of the latest Mars landers bouncing to the surface. Vertigo, low ceilings and nausea are still HUGE problems.
Reality Check, you need a serious Reality Check. Get back to us when you’ve got something real instead of alarmist propaganda.
{Heavy sigh of relief}
O.K. Return to Defcon One!
Never, NEVER understimate the killing potential of a paraplegic kitten.
Reality Check is the resident troll at The Mac observer in case anyone didn’t know. Don’t feed him. Starving troll eventually dry up and blow away like dogshit in August.
Reality Check is the resident troll at The Mac Observer in case anyone didn’t know. Don’t feed him. Starving trolls eventually dry up and blow away like dogshit in August.
Since Apple is getting huge in popularity, Mac tojans and virus reports are just a way to sell anti-virus programs to the mac user
Real IT guy: “This is the Mac equivalent of naming a file hotnekkidbritney.jpg.exe on a Windows machine.
90% of Windows users out there will think it’s a jpeg because, by default Windows hides the extensions.
100% true, but, to be fair – in a Windows environment the icon changes to the default icon for an .exe file (regardless of weather the extension is hidden or not). Still, a user can double click it if he/she wants to.
On the Mac, from reading the reports of this “vulnerability”, the icon itself still LOOKS to be a jpg file, correct? Seriously, this is not a taunt/flame. I just want to know how to protect myself or what to look for on my Mac.
But if you feel you need to feed a troll, it’s diet consists primarily of raw crow. Mmmmm, that’s tasty crow.