[X4U] New Trojan threatens Macs with installer...

[Randy B. Singer]

On Nov 21, 2008, at 2:35 PM, Shawn King wrote:

> Why can Intego "overreact" but the "Mac Press" can't? Why cut  
> Intego slack
> when you won't cut the same slack to the Mac press?

I didn't say that Intego is allowed to overreact and the Mac Press is  
not.  I said that I don't think that the folks at Intego are liars.

I *do* like an AV company that pushes out new AV definitions ASAP, no  
matter what the distribution of the threat turns out to be later.  I  
don't call that over-reacting.  I call that "doing their job really  
well."  If the distribution of a threat turns out to be close to zero  
later, I think that is acceptable.  But that isn't the same thing as  
making up a report about a piece of malware that never existed.

Who says that I won't cut the Mac press any slack?  They over- 
reacted.  I might have done the same in the same situation.  But,  
unlike Intego when they discovered a new perceived threat, the Mac  
press did have some time to reflect before they reacted.  I don't  
call that doing their job really well.


>> Personally I want my AV software company to jump when they see a new
>> potential threat, push out an AV definition for it, and ask questions
>> later.  If they are wrong about the level of threat, I can live with
>> that much better than I can live with being unprotected in the early
>> stages of a new outbreak.
>
> Do you really think that, as informed as you seem to be that you  
> might get
> caught out by some new outbreak? Do you really believe that you  
> would be hit
> by malware *before* your virus company, the Mac Press or even the  
> mainstream
> press runs wild over the story?

It has happened in the Windows world, so I presume it can happen to  
us.  I've heard of entire companies that had AV software installed,  
yet were devastated by a new very virulent threat.

I've heard of malware that was specifically designed to get around AV  
software.  I've heard of malware that could infect hundreds of  
thousands of PC's in just hours:
http://www.yuikee.com.hk/press/release/1999-03_MELISSA.htm.en

Am I personally concerned that such a threat will hit the Macintosh?   
No, I'm not.  Not at all.  But there are companies that have a lot  
more to lose than I do, and I'm assuming that they want the best AV  
software possible.  Intego appears to be offering that to Macintosh  
users looking for it.

___________________________________________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
___________________________________________