First "wild" malware hits OS X
Finally, it has happened: OS X systems have
finally been visited by a piece of malware--a frequent visitor on Windows
systems. Curious, though, how it was spread: not through web browsers, or
through email clients, as per usual on Windows systems, but, initially at least,
through Mac rumors sites.
The file was posted as "latestpics.tgz," claiming
to be pictures of an upcoming version of Mac OS X. Once downloaded, the user
must click on it to execute the
code.
Virus companies have categorized
this piece of malware as a Level 1 threat (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being
the most severe). Even if installed, it does not appear to do any damage beyond
being a mild nuisance. And unlike Windows malware, it doesn't install itself
without the user not knowing anything about it. The user must click on it before
it can install itself.
Posted: Fri - February 17, 2006 at 01:33 PM