Following two independent Java security updates and one last patch to detect and remove the Flashback trojan, Apple has released another software tool for getting rid of Flashback on a Mac running OS X Lion without Java installed.
Flashback is the name of a virus that was able to infect a Mac and link it up to a botnet of around 600,000 other Macs. If you’ve updated your Mac with the latest Java patch, you should be fine, but Apple has provided this new tool for safe measure to Mac users running Lion without Java already installed.
The malware remover is identical to what’s in the Java update Apple issued a couple days ago, but Lion users who have uninstalled Java are encouraged to run the tool to make sure their Macs are safe. You can tell if you have Java on your Mac by opening Safari and heading to Preferences. There will be options to disable and enable Java there if you have it installed. Technically, you have to be running Java to get the Flashback trojan in the first place, but Apple is just covering all of its bases.
Apple warns that, “In some cases, the Flashback malware removal tool may need to restart your computer in order to completely remove the Flashback malware.”
Lion users who don’t have Java can download Apple’s Flashback removal tool for free on the company’s website.