Tech
Flashback Trojan Infects 600,000 Macs
Tech giant Apple has released a patch for hundreds of thousands of Macs infected with malicious software (also called malware). The number includes about 30,000 Mac computers in Australia.
Apple announced that it has issued updates to Java for Mac OS X, plugging in at least a dozen security holes. The update hopes to correct the flaws that were attacked by Flashback Trojan.
When a Mac user visits an infected website, the virus then installs itself to the system. Once the virus is installed in the device, it then searches for user names and passwords. The process is known as drive-by download.
The breach was reported by Russian security firm Dr. Web. The report indicated that close to 600,000 Macs have been affected globally.
Earlier versions of Flashback Trojan prompted users of affected Macs to enter their passwords before the program is run. The new version, however, no longer requires a password and would just immediately infect the system.
The attack has provoked many negative comments with many Mac users expressing their disappointment with Apple. Apple has always bragged that its system is more secured compared to Windows.
Some tech bloggers have advised Mac users to delete Java if they are not using it at all.
Industry experts also weighed on the issue, expressing their concern. Dave Marcus, McAfee Labs threat intelligence director, said that it appears that attacks are no longer confined to PC devices but is now moving towards Macs.
Marcus also said that because of the growing popularity of Apple devices, hackers feel that attacking these is a more challenging experience.
