Apple Mac OS X update to put Mac Defender malware issue to bed
By Larry Dignan | May 24, 2011, 4:59pm PDT
Summary
Apple will deliver a Mac OS X update “in coming days” that will put its Mac Defender malware headaches to rest
Apple said Tuesday that it will deliver a Mac OS X update “in coming days” that will put its Mac Defender malware headaches to rest.
As noted repeatedly by Ed Bott, Apple has had its head in the sand about its Mac Defender malware issue. In a May 24, knowledge base article Apple said:
What took so long? Apple has historically hung its hat on being a malware free environment. The issue with that positioning is that Apple is a bigger part of the computing landscape. The more market share you have the larger a target you are for hackers.
By Larry Dignan | May 24, 2011, 4:59pm PDT
Summary
Apple will deliver a Mac OS X update “in coming days” that will put its Mac Defender malware headaches to rest
Apple said Tuesday that it will deliver a Mac OS X update “in coming days” that will put its Mac Defender malware headaches to rest.
As noted repeatedly by Ed Bott, Apple has had its head in the sand about its Mac Defender malware issue. In a May 24, knowledge base article Apple said:
A recent phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them that their computer is infected with a virus. The user is then offered Mac Defender “anti-virus” software to solve the issue.
This “anti-virus” software is malware (i.e. malicious software). Its ultimate goal is to get the user’s credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes.
The most common names for this malware are MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity.
In the coming days, Apple will deliver a Mac OS X software update that will automatically find and remove Mac Defender malware and its known variants. The update will also help protect users by providing an explicit warning if they download this malware.
For now there’s a step by step workaround to manually remove the malware.This “anti-virus” software is malware (i.e. malicious software). Its ultimate goal is to get the user’s credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes.
The most common names for this malware are MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity.
In the coming days, Apple will deliver a Mac OS X software update that will automatically find and remove Mac Defender malware and its known variants. The update will also help protect users by providing an explicit warning if they download this malware.
What took so long? Apple has historically hung its hat on being a malware free environment. The issue with that positioning is that Apple is a bigger part of the computing landscape. The more market share you have the larger a target you are for hackers.