More Mac malware spotted

Malware like viruses, Trojans and spyware are so rare on the Apple Mac that it's a big deal when one is spotted. Every so often one pops up, but to have two in one week is like being struck by lightning - twice!

It is becoming increasingly common to hear of malware on the Mac although there is still has a long, long way to go before it ever gets anywhere near the situation we have on Windows computers. Malware for the Mac is definitely a reality though and you do need to be aware of it. Don't assume that you are safe just because you run OS X. An operating system is only as effective as the weakest link, and that's you, the user. Malware is socially engineered to trick people into installing it, running it and entering their administrator passwords when needed.

Security company F-Secure recently discovered a new malware attack on the Mac which they have called Trojan-Dropper:OSX/Revir.A. This malware is disguised as a PDF file and it opens on the screen to distract you while it downloads a backdoor (a method used to gain access to your computer), Backdoor:OSX/Imuler.A and installs it on the system in the background. The PDF is actually some Chinese document and is unimportant because by the time you see it, you're already infected. Fortunately, the malware doesn't actually do anything harmful yet, but the capability is there and you need to watch out for it.

Security company Intego has discovered a new malware program that masquerades as a Flash installer. The Mac Flashback Trojan tries to trick people into thinking they don't have Flash installed or have an outdated version of Flash and they need to install a new version.

It appears as a link on a website and visitors may think that they need to click it to download and install Flash. By default, Safari automatically runs files that are downloaded and so the malware installation automatically starts. The malware injects code into apps when they are run and this connects to a remote server to send details about the Mac.

If you think you may have been tricked into installing this malware, open a Finder window and see if you have this file: ~/Library/Preferences/Preferences.dylib (~ means your home folder). If you don't, you're OK. If you ever see a message stating that you need Flash or need to update it to the latest version, always go to www.adobe.com and get the real version, not by clicking a link on some other website. You may want to consider getting an anti virus program for your Mac, such as Intego's VirusBarrier X6.