Apple’s Trojan: Myth or Reality

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Some people get themselves Apple Macs thinking they’d never be hit by a virus. Apparently, that is not the case anymore. Hackers usually go after PCs, there being so many of them. And, they normally target Windows OS users, since there are also so many of them. Recently, however, anti-virus companies have detected that there is a new Trojan circling the web, looking for Macs. As per initial estimates, about 600,000 Mac users have been hit.

The virus has been named Flashback. It installs malware in victim computers by attacking a Java vulnerability in Mac OS X. Apple was able to plug the insertion point but not before the hackers released it. Some anti-virus companies have also released free software to remove the Trojan from infected Macs.

Protection

There are no reported visible symptoms of the virus, except that infected computers make sporadic connections to unknown servers that can only be seen in the Firewall logs, if any is in place. It spreads via the Java applets which normally are on automatic mode.

Apple has been releasing critical security updates to stop infection. These patches not only remove instances of the virus from infected computers but also disable the automatic execution of Java applets. For those who are not sure if their Macs are indeed infected, it is recommended that they download the patches if they have Java installed on their computers.

Third party anti-virus companies have created their own fixes, as well. Kaspersky Labs, one of the first to report to the public about the Flashback threat, has set up a website where Mac users can check if their respective computers are infected. They can then download software to delete the malware if infection has indeed been spotted. For its part, another anti-virus company F-Secure has also released its own version of the cure which it called Flashback Removal, a free program that automatically detects and removes the Flashback virus. The download is a relatively small file which scans computers for the virus and isolates and eliminates it once detected.

Most viruses had come from downloading from untrusted sites. Sites that offer something free are sometimes the culprit in sending these kinds of viruses. The best way to prevent it is to install good anti-virus software and be very careful with choosing the sites to visit. Only choose sites that you trust and if you feel that

Authors Bio:

I’m Jenny Jenkins fulltime mommy of 3 beautiful girls, Work-At-Home-Mom, and tech blogger. I often write tech articles on several blogs where I write mostly gadget and phone reviews. I’m a regular blogger at thewirelessbanana. com, blog dedicated to mobile and gadget lover. We offer reviews, news and promos on all wireless service provider in the US. Visit us at TWB and get the newest promo code for boost mobile today.