Mac Malware: Trojans Are Nothing New
1:44 pm, November 24th, 2008, Giles Turnbull
Here’s some news for you:
Mac OS X is, and always has been, vulnerable to trojans.
The whole point of trojans is that they exploit the most serious security problem of all: gullible users. A trojan does not take advantage of any holes in the code, all it needs is to persuade someone to click an “OK”, or to run an installer, and it has done its job.
The problem with a lot of the reporting of malware, especially by traditional media, is that the word “virus” is widely used to mean “malware”.
Most of us who are half-way to computer literate know the difference between a trojan and a virus, but most of the rest of the world has no idea.
That’s why we’re seeing news articles about “Mac viruses”, and we shall continue to see them in future. That’s also why your Windows-using friends are going to be smirking at you, saying: “Heh. And you said you didn’t get viruses on your Mac. Bet you feel stupid now, huh?”
Any computer is vulnerable to trojans. The security hole they exploit is not in the operating system, it’s the one sitting in the chair and tapping on the keyboard.
Wanna keep your computer clean? Next time you’re surfing some random porn site and a pop-up tells you to “Install a codec” so you can watch the movies, it’s a good idea to click Cancel.
Posted by Giles Turnbull in Opinions | Comment on this article
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Thank you for saying this, openly and up front.
Seriously, the more people that understand this very basic fact of computing, the sooner we’ll be past all of these “OMG MAC VIRUS POSSIBLY FOUND SOMEWHERE MAYBE” headlines we see in the likes of PC World, designed to drum up fear that maybe the Mac platform isn’t as secure as people believe it might be.
But even then, it’s that false belief that perpetuates the screaming headlines. As long as people keep their fingers in their ears and believe that the Mac is an impenetrable fortress the more they’ll be frightened when any malware that works on a Mac comes to light.
It’s a double-edged sword, and for one, I like the fact that you’re being up-front and eyes-open about security.
phoenix, on November 24th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I don’t agree that it’s always a good idea to click “Cancel” on a malicious popup. Why should you trust anything you see? For all you know, clicking the so-called Cancel button could work the same as clicking OK. Better and safer to just quit your browser entirely.
asj, on November 24th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
ok. so i believe yous. so what firewalls would yous recommend for we trojan-vulnerable mac users ..?
dawnprofies, on November 25th, 2008 at 2:45 am
To be precise, “Dim OS X users” are and always have been vulnerable to Trojan Horses.
imajoebob, on November 25th, 2008 at 8:43 pm