Over the last week or so, the internet has been awash in reports of the latest piece of malware targeting Apple OS X systems called MacDefender , MacSecurity or MacProtector. This is a piece of software that Symantec calls FakeAV, which is an entire family of “scareware.” A browser window pops up and says the machine is infected and to download a particular piece of software to remove the issue, when in fact the software you download is the payload that infects your machine.
This is not new to the Windows camp as FakeAV products have been around for many years. Everyday many bogus antivirus and security applications are released and pushed to unsuspecting users through various delivery channels. Many of these programs turn out to be clones of each other. They are often created from the same code base but presented with a different name and look - achieved through the use of a "skin". These programs attempt to convince the user to purchase software in order to remove non-existent malware or security risks from the computer. The user is continually prompted to pay for the software using a credit card. Some programs employ tactics designed to annoy or disrupt the activities of the user until the software is purchased.
It is estimated that a single vendor is likely responsible for approximately 80% of all misleading applications. The vendor recruits affiliates, who are then issued the task of spreading and distributing the misleading applications. The applications are often re-skinned and/or re-branded (‘cloned’). While the applications may vary in appearance, they all perform in the same manner, i.e. perform a 'scan' of the computer, report malicious objects, and prompt the user to purchase a full version of the program to remove the falsely reported threats.
Going back to the OS X side of the fence, most users do not run any sort of anti-malware program on their systems, making them vulnerable to security holes and vulnerabilities that come up. While the underlying system of OS X is Unix based (BSD specifically), there are still vulnerabilities in the system services and applications that run on it. Apple is traditionally slow to update all but the most critical flaws in their software, and when they do, they release very little information about what is being patched. Microsoft on the other hand releases information a week or more in advance of their “Patch Tuesday” updates so administrators can prioritize the download and application of patches.
While there isn’t anywhere the number of threats that target OS X specifically, there are still application vulnerabilities that are particularly bad. Recent ones that come to mind are Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office 2008, and Adobe Flash Player. Recent vulnerabilities that target the OS X system itself for example are in Samba, PHP, and ClamAV.
So how can you protect yourself? In short, practice good computing, the same thing security professionals have been talking about for years.
- Run an antivirus program such as Norton Internet Security for Mac or Symantec Endpoint Protection for Mac.
- Don’t click on links in emails or instant messages without verifying the sender, and the site.
- Don’t click in pop-ups saying that your machine is compromised
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