[X4U] Recent Malware Threats; What To Do

[Marcel Vachon]

On Apr 6, 2012, at 3:00 PM, x4u-request at listserver.themacintoshguy.com wrote:

A big THANK YOU to Randy for such an easy to understand explanation of the issue. I've been reading about this on other sites and it's a bit of information overload!  Your kinds of explanations are the reason why we buy all of your Mac OS Bible 10.x books! 

The only thing that I am uncertain about is, other than crashing the Mac, what are the other downsides of the virus?  Does the malware steal the users passwords and mail them back to a home base somewhere? Does the malware slow the system down a lot? Is the virus passed on to others via infected email? 

Please let me know and thank you,

Marcel


> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2012 21:50:25 -0700
> From: "Randy B. Singer" <randy at macattorney.com>
> To: "A place to discuss Mac OS X for the casual user."
> 	<x4u at listserver.themacintoshguy.com>
> Subject: [X4U] Recent Malware Threats; What To Do
> Message-ID: <3B9C0C66-6989-4713-954F-69F35E8C17D8 at macattorney.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes;
> 	format=flowed
> 
> 
> There is a new Trojan Horse going around that is quite nasty, called  
> Flashback.
> 
> Article: Mac Flashback Trojan: Find Out If You?re One of the 600,000  
> Infected
> <http://gizmodo.com/5899352/mac-flashback-trojan-find-out-if-youre- 
> one-of-the-600000-infected>
> This article will tell you how to find out if you are already  
> infected by the Flashback Trojan, and it tells where to go to find  
> instructions on how to eliminate this malware if you are.
> (Don't be too upset by the title of that article. I've yet to hear a  
> single firsthand account of someone being infected by Flashback.)
> 
> Apple has already pushed out an update to Java that includes a patch  
> to make your Mac immune to Flashback.
> Once you either find out that you aren't infected with Flashback, or  
> you find out that you are infected with Flashback and you eliminate  
> it, it would be a very good idea to go ahead and update Java to  
> acquire immunity to Flashback.
> <http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5228?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US>
> 
> Java, by the way, is a programming language that is used for  
> applications and advanced features on Web sites. It's use has become  
> very rare. If you think that it is unlikely that you even have a need  
> for Java, it is possible to completely disable Java so that it can be  
> totally eliminated as a vector of malware infection on your computer.:
> <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57408841-263/how-to-check-for- 
> and-disable-java-in-os-x/>
> 
> There is another Trojan Horse going around that is carried via a  
> Microsoft Office document. Don't confuse this with the Flashback  
> Trojan. Apple has already pushed out a security update to protect you  
> against this Trojan also.
> Apple updated XProtect with a definition to
> catch the Office vulnerability. They refer to it as "OSX/Mdropper.i."  
> You should run Software Update on your Mac and install all security  
> updates.
> 
> In addition, if you have Microsoft Office installed, it's a good idea  
> to install the Microsoft updaters for Office. These include a patch  
> against this Trojan also:
> <http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads>
> 
> 
> ___________________________________________
> 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
> ___________________________________________