As thousands of protesters flood the streets of Hong Kong demanding a democratic election, the Chinese government is reportedly using sophisticated malware to spy on not only Android devices, but iOS devices as well.
But don’t worry about China peeking at your Snapchats. There has yet to be a widespread instance of iOS malware in the wild, and this particularly “advanced” trojan still requires a tremendous amount of complicit behavior on the victim’s part.
Want to boost your Mac’s performance? The latest offer from Cult of Mac Deals will help you clean it, oganize it, and a\make it faster…and all at a fraction of the regular price.
Intego Washing Machine makes it easy to get rid of the junk that’s making your Mac slow – duplicate files and old programs you never use. Plus, it enables you to automatically organize things so both you and your Mac operate more efficiently. And Cult of Mac Deals has Washing Machine for just $19.99 – a savings of 33%!
While malware isn’t as widespread or as common on Macs as it is on PCs, you’re kidding yourself if you still believe OS X is immune to it. It’s a very real threat, and if you’re not careful about what you download and install, you could end up with a serious problem. But there are ways in which you can avoid it.
There are anti-malware programs that will detect threats, of course, and OS X now has some nifty tools built-in that prevent software from running on your machine if it’s not from a trusted source. And if you’re a Google Chrome user, you’ll soon find that malicious downloads are blocked automatically.
As the popularity of the Mac grows, so does the probability of malware and viruses being created and spread for the platform. Gone are the days where one can say that the Mac is not susceptible to these sorts of threats.
MacKeeper is designed to help deal with those threats should they try to infiltrate your system. And Cult of Mac Deals is currently offering this “peace of mind” software solution for just $34.99 – a savings of 61%!
A new Mac malware has been found in the wild that allowed attackers to steal data and install unauthorized apps on a compromised machine. What makes this malware different than other recent Mac malware, though, is that it breezes right past Gatekeeper… and the people behind it might have been gunning for the life of their malware victim.
A new piece of Mac malware has been discovered. The virus installs itself as “macs.app” and silently takes screenshots to then upload to shady servers. It doesn’t appear to be very widespread at the moment.
The malware was uncovered on an African activist’s Mac at the Oslo Freedom Forum, an annual event dedicated to “exploring how best to challenge authoritarianism and promote free and open societies.”
Android’s reputation as a nest for malware isn’t likely to heal anytime soon, thanks to a new report from Symantec.
According to the security company’s research, Android is still the main target when it comes to mobile malware writers, but iOS is technically a more vulnerable platform.
The latest App Report from research firm Appthority has found that free apps downloaded onto iOS devices are more likely to collect your personal data than free apps downloaded on Android, with 60% of the top ten App Store downloads sharing data with advertising and analytics networks.
The report suggests that due to the volume of titles in the App Store, iOS developers are more likely to collect your data and pass it on as an alternative revenue stream.
Hot on the heels of Oracle’s own update, Apple has released a Java for OS X 2013-001 software update for download that addresses the software vulnerability that compromised a number of their employees’ computers.
One of the biggest reasons I switched from Windows to a Mac all those years ago was OS X’s supposed immunity to malware and viruses. I’ve quickly discovered throughout 2012, however, that my Mac isn’t as safe on the Internet as I’d been led to believe. A new report from antivirus experts Sophos today highlights that.
The company’s Security Threat Report 2013 declares 2012 to be the year of “new platforms and changing threats.” Hackers are switching their focus from Windows to other platforms, including Mac OS X. Today’s biggest target, however, is Google’s Android platform.
Following the Flashback malware scare this spring, Apple is stepping up its focus on security and malware protection in Mountain Lion. The release notes for the latest Mountain Lion developer preview include references to a “new Mountain Lion Security Updates system” that checks for security updates on a daily basis, uses a more secure connection when communicating with Apple’s update servers, and can install required updates automatically when a Mac is restarted.
Based on the release notes for the system, Apple is making the security update process automatic and has designed it to runs as a system process rather than a user task. Presumably that means it will function without a user logged in or while non-admin users are logged in. All in all, that’s similar to Microsoft’s Windows update feature and a good thing for users.
That doesn’t mean that this setup will be great fit for businesses, schools, and other organizations with large Mac populations.
MacKeeper is a strange piece of software. There may be no other app as controversial in the Apple world. The application, which performs various janitorial duties on your hard drive, is loathed by a large segment of the Mac community. Check out any blog, site or forum that mentions it, and you’ll find hundreds of furious comments condemning MacKeeper and Zeobit, the company behind it. We discovered this ourselves earlier this month, when we offered a 50%-off deal on MacKeeper. Look at all those furious comments on the post.
The complaints about MacKeeper are all over the shop: It’s a virus. It holds your machine hostage until you pay up. It can’t be completely removed if you decide to delete it. Instead of speeding up your computer, it slows it down. It erases your hard drive, deletes photos, and disappears documents. There are protests about MacKeeper’s annual subscription fees. Zeobit is slammed for seedy marketing tactics. It runs pop-under ads, plants sock-puppet reviews and encourages sleazy affiliate sites, critics say.
But what’s really strange is that MacKeeper has been almost universally praised by professional reviewers. All week I’ve been checking out reviews on the Web and I can’t find a bad one.
AT&T is one of 48 carriers worldwide which have a network vulnerability that allows hackers to intercept cellular data and inject malicious content into the traffic that passes between smartphones and the websites they visit. The flaw can be used to transfer code to unencrypted pages which causes a user to perform unintended actions, like sending messages or friend requests from Facebook and Twitter. And your iPhone may be vulnerable.
If you still think your Mac is immune to malware and malicious infections then it’s time to stop kidding yourself. The recent Flashback trojan has proven that these a real issue for Apple’s desktop operating system, and as long as Mac OS X continues to grow, so will its infections.
But Apple is now working to prevent them. It issued a fix for the Flashback infection after it became apparent just how huge it was, and the Cupertino company is now teaming up with security specialists Kaspersky to identify other vulnerabilities.
If you don’t think that your Mac is susceptible to a virus, then you couldn’t be more wrong. With the popularity of the Mac growing every day, they are becoming more of a target. If you want to protect your computer — and speed it up at the same time — the latest Cult of Mac Deals offer is just for you! But the time to get it is almost up!
With VirusBarrier X6 you’ll be able to protect your Mac from network threats, viruses, trojan horses and all other malware. Washing Machine 2 enables you to clean up web files that compromise your privacy and slow down your Mac in the process.
Last week, Eugene Kaspersky — the eponymous founder of the industry leading Kaspersky security company — made some waves by claiming that OS X was “at least 10 years behind Microsoft in terms of security.”
Since Kaspersky’s eyebrow-arching claim, there’s been a lot of bickering about whether what he said was true, or whether his comments were self-serving. Maybe Kaspersky’s right, though, and Apple should follow in Microsoft’s footsteps and outsource OS X security to the anti-virus industry?
The Flashback malware which was found to be infecting over 650,000 Macs at its peak was earning its creators up to $10,000 a day, according to security specialists Symantec. The OSX.Flashback.K trojan, which is believed to be the largest Mac infection to date, is designed to steal page views and advertising revenue from Google.
News, information, and commentary of the Flashback malware threat has ricocheted around the web over the past few weeks. The news of dangerous Mac malware has spread from the Apple and tech media into the mainstream. While not downplaying the seriousness of the threat, a Microsoft announcement yesterday does offer some perspective.
Microsoft made it clear that the Conficker worm is still infecting millions of PCs worldwide – three years after fears about Conficker’s potential damage and the estimated level of infections (estimates ran as high 12 million PCs at the time) created a media frenzy.
One of the main reasons many of us turned to Apple’s machines and its OS X operating system is the belief that the company’s software is more secure than Windows, its biggest rival. However, Eugene Kaspersky, CEO and co-founder of Kaspersky, one of the industry’s leading security specialists, believes that Apple is “10 years behind Microsoft in terms of security,” and that Apple need to invest more into security audits for its software.
Think your Mac’s safe now that you’ve removed that Flashback infection? Think again. New research conducted by security specialists Sophos has revealed a “disturbingly high level” of Macs are currently carrying malware, though much of it is designed to attack Windows machines.
Of the 100,000 Macs that Sophos analyzed, one in five was found to be carrying Windows malware, while one in 36 was carrying malware designed for and dangerous to Mac OS X.
If you don’t think that your Mac is susceptible to a virus, then you couldn’t be more wrong. With the popularity of the Mac growing every day, they are becoming more of a target. If you want to protect your computer – and speed it up at the same time, the latest Cult of Mac Deals offer is just for you!
With this killer bundle you’ll get 1 year of ultimate protection against all known malware and viruses, like the one that recently made the news: Flashback. With VirusBarrier X6 you’ll be able to protect your Mac from network threats, viruses, trojan horses and all other malware. Washing Machine 2 enables you to clean up web files that compromise your privacy and slow down your Mac in the process.
And this deal is only $36 for a limited time. When you think about it, the only thing you have to lose by not taking advantage of this Cult of Mac Deals bundle is your Mac. Don’t let that happen.
With the number of Flashback-infected Macs dwindling more each day and Apple’s release of software updates that can both clean an infected Mac and prevent infection or reinfection, it’s easy for IT departments and individual Mac users to think that the crisis has passed. That doesn’t mean that it’s time to forget about the issue of malware targeting Macs, however. In fact, the entire event has been a wakeup call to IT and security professionals as well as to the wider Mac community – Macs are not invincible.
When reflecting on the Flashback events of the past couple of weeks, there are five major themes or lessons for businesses and IT department to consider when it comes to supporting Macs going forward.
Apple’s operating systems and its software are generally believed to be the best available in terms of security and stability, but a new report from Trend Micro reveals that’s a huge misconception… at least in recent months. In fact, the Cupertino company suffered more vulnerabilities during the last quarter than rivals like Oracle, Google, Adobe, and even Microsoft.
With more and more security threats to OS X like the recent “Flashback” trojan, now’s a better time than ever to protect you Mac from any and all possible security threats. In this video, I’ll show you the best ways to keep your Mac safe from viruses and malware.
With the Flashback trojan now threatened by extinction thanks to Apple’s new removal tool, it’s time to turn our attention to another threat. A vulnerability in Microsoft Office is allowing the “Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a” trojan to infect systems running Mac OS X and use a Java exploit to avoid detection from anti-malware products
Once on your system, the trojan can feed back screenshots of your system and execute commands.
