Apple Responds Quickly to Evolving 'Mac Defender' Threat With Updated Malware Definitions
Fortunately for users, Apple has moved almost as quickly as the attackers, quashing any potential fears that the company might be slow to respond to each new threat that appears. As reported by Italian site Spider-Mac [Google translation], Apple has already issued an update to detect the new variant, pushing out a new entry for "OSX.MacDefender.C" to the Xprotect.plist file that contains the signatures for identifying malware.
After the update, users are indeed presented with a warning if they begin to download the latest variant:
As part of the security update earlier this week, Apple included a system to automatically update the Xprotect.plist anti-malware definitions every 24 hours, giving the company the ability to quickly push out new protection for Mac OS X Snow Leopard users. While this is unlikely to be the end of the Mac Defender attackers' efforts, it does appear that Apple is committed to responding and issuing updates to its users as quickly as the attackers can churn out new variants.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
The attackers will always be one step ahead...
But if Apple stays only one step behind and closes the holes within 24 hours each time, the attackers will soon learn that there isn't that much to be gained by the effort. They'll have to try another approach.
You know, this relatively benign malware is, on balance, a good thing. This will educate Mac users not to click OK on software they did not choose to install. So that when something really serious shows up, they will know better thanks to this mild version that is merely annoying.
The writers of this malware love to see Apple jumping through the hoops they make. This will on,y get worse with 10.7, as per Apples history, new OSes are filled with bugs and exploitable flaws.
You mean like windows where the general advice it not to install it until SP1 is released?
This doesn't bode well for Lion's release. Even if these threats don't indicate a material problem with OS X, the fact that Apple has been baited into an arms war makes OS X look less secure.
You have to install this yourself.... it is NOT a virus... but maleware.
Not sure exactly how OSX is less secure? Maleware has been around for years for OSX.... just don't install the damn thing!
The writers of this malware love to see Apple jumping through the hoops they make. This will on,y get worse with 10.7, as per Apples history, new OSes are filled with bugs and exploitable flaws.
Completely irrelevant. MacDefender doesn't take advantage of any flaw or bug in OS X. The only flaw in play here is people's gullibility.
This doesn't bode well for Lion's release. Even if these threats don't indicate a material problem with OS X, the fact that Apple has been baited into an arms war makes OS X look less secure.
What kind of logic is this?
You have to install this yourself.... it is NOT a virus... but maleware.
Not sure exactly how OSX is less secure? Maleware has been around for years for OSX.... just don't install the damn thing!
Maleware? What's maleware? Sounds like a line of men's lingerie. :confused:
Though I dont really like this current situation. Where are the good old days when no hackers even bothered to create malware for Macs? Stop buying so many macs people :D
The fix is AdBlock or NoScript, and Apple can't do that.
But anyway good to see that it took Apple less than 24h to release an update.
Wonder if there will be a permanent fix in Lion.
Well the current fix is to not install this BS in the first place.
There is no fix for this type of malware ... If the user interacts with an installer, so there is not much that can be done until the installer is out in the wild and a signature for it can be created. Malware authors will always be a step ahead and nothing can be done about it.
I wouldn't be surprised if the entire thing weren't stage-managed by Apple to give them an argument in favour of a move to an iOS-style Mac App Store-only software model. (Jailbreak your Mac, anyone?)
Here we go again - people running out of real arguments against apple clinging to stupid claims like this ....
[ Read All Comments ]
Best Buy has recalled 5,100 third-party replacement MacBook batteries after at least 13 reports of the batteries catching fire.
Both the black and white varieties sold between September 2008 and...
In an interview with design magazine Dezeen, German industrial designer Richard Sapper revealed that he was once recruited by Steve Jobs to do design work for Apple. The interview doesn't specify...
Parallels has posted instructions on how to install the developer release of OS X Mavericks into its virtualization software. Installing the beta in a virtual machine allows developers to test their...
After releasing OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 to the public in early June, Apple has seeded the first beta of OS X 10.8.5, Build 12F9, to developers. According to 9to5Mac, Apple has also seeded the...
Firaxis and 2K Games’ XCOM: Enemy Unknown is already available in several App Stores around the world and will hit the U.S. App Store later tonight. The game, which was first released for the Mac in...
The Lytro Light Field Camera, which was released in late 2011, is designed to capture refocusable images, allowing the perspective of the picture to be changed at will. Today Lytro announced that it...
Google Reader is set to shut down on July 1, and while several companies have stepped in to fill the void, Feedly has been one of the most successful replacements with more than 12 million users, up...
EverySteveJobsVideo (via The Loop) today released a never-before-seen video of Steve Jobs in 1994, while he was at NeXT, pondering his legacy in the personal computer field and whether he thought he...
