Flashback Virus Steals $10,000 Daily

The Flashback Virus which is affecting Apple computers worldwide, appears to be pocketing as much as $10,000 every day. The virus is believed to be hijacking advertising clicks. 

Symantec said the virus targets searches made on Google using Firefox, Safari or Chrome. The virus also directs users to pages that have been determined by the hackers. Symantec is an Internet security firm, which offers anti-virus software. 

Symantec added that when a user clicks an online ad, he is then directed to websites of various publishers and merchants. The hackers earn about eight cents per click instead of Google receiving the amount as referral fee. 

A researcher from Symantec said Google doesn’t receive any money from these hijacked clicks and the tech giant is essentially losing as much as $10,000 in daily revenue. 

Based on Symantec’s research, those affected by Trojan are Macintosh computers. Last month, Apple issued a software update that should prevent Flashback from affecting its computers. The virus was believed to be hijacking Java programs. 

Industry analysts said that Flashback may have affected as many as 600,000 Apple computers globally, with about 30,000 of these in Australia.

The breach was discovered by Dr. Web in early April. Dr. Web is a Russian security firm. Mac users turned to online to express their disappointment over the tech giant. 

Tech bloggers have also advised users to delete Java from their Mac computer if they are not using the software at all. 

The appearance of Flashback in Mac computers has put the spotlight on Apple with industry observers saying more hackers might attempt to hack Apple devices.

Tagged Apple, Dr. Web, Flashback, Google, Macintosh, Symantec