Mac OS X Now Updates Malware Definitions Daily

Tuesday May 31, 2011 3:43 pm PDT by Arnold Kim

Apple has detailed what changes have been made in the latest Mac OS X Snow Leopard Security update that was released earlier today. Besides adding specific detection for the "Mac Defender" malware, Apple has added a daily update to this database.

Apple maintains a list of known malicious software that is used during the safe download check to determine if a file contains malicious software. The list is stored locally, and with Security Update 2011-003 is updated daily by a background process.

This means that Apple will be able to push out profiles for newly found malware without requiring a new software update.

Users can opt-out of this daily download if they choose.

Top Rated Comments

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firestarter

13 months ago

They clearly had this waiting in the wings. Good move, Apple.

Rating: 12 Positives / 1 Negatives

Cougarcat

13 months ago

OS X now has an inbuilt antivirus. The day has come.

It's had anti-malware support since 10.6.0 This just makes updating it automatic.

Rating: 8 Positives / 0 Negatives

Spanky Deluxe

13 months ago

Ah so that's what the new request was that Little Snitch picked up on post updating. Great to know that Apple is staying on top of things.

Rating: 7 Positives / 0 Negatives

Undecided

13 months ago

There's nothing wrong with open safe files. Even with this whole malware thing, even though it launches the installer, it's trapped in the installer and won't install unless you allow it.

You know what this thing is? An IQ test.

Rating: 6 Positives / 1 Negatives

FroMann

13 months ago

Better than downloading a third party anti virus application.

Rating: 3 Positives / 0 Negatives

NAG

13 months ago

It's had anti-malware support since 10.6.0 This just makes updating it automatic.

The auto updating kind of makes the feature though since it allows Apple to decouple immediate security threats from their normal update cycle.

Rating: 3 Positives / 0 Negatives

Northgrove

13 months ago

I never expected this from Apple.

I completely expected a "OK, we'll take this one but this is really rare and Macs don't really catch much malware".

That Apple is here to help with malware from the first known wide-spread case is pretty much unprecedented in the industry as far as I know. I mean as an OS vendor, and as for protecting their own OS. Good job! And thanks for not being ignorant about it. :)

Rating: 3 Positives / 0 Negatives

NAG

13 months ago

About time. Any computer that isn't locked down like iOS needs to have something like this no matter how unlikely it is your computer will get the malware.

Rating: 4 Positives / 1 Negatives

asdf542

13 months ago

Where is this option?

Rating: 2 Positives / 0 Negatives

mcdermd

13 months ago

This is very easy to demand, but you haven't thought through the consequences. (The main consequence being that all users including you would start screaming "Safari is broken! It doesn't open the documents that I'm downloading anymore!")

Wrong. I turn it off first thing for myself and any other person who asks me to set up their system for them. I've been doing it since Safari 1.

Rating: 1 Positives / 0 Negatives

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