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View Full Version : Macs get their first trojan


InfiniteNothing
02-16-2006, 12:59 PM
Sooooooo, don't double click jpeg files you're not familiar with.
Link (http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/16/apple-osx-virus-cx_po_0216autofacescan09.html)

The PC-loyal have had their fair share of viruses, to which Microsoft has released a plethora of antiviral armor and updates. Apple Computer's Mac users, on the other hand, have touted their reassuringly expensive kit as being free from such palaver. That may change now, though.

U.K.-based antivirus company Sophos has reportedly spotted the first virus prowling the web which targets the Mac OS X operating system platform. A Web site devoted to Mac rumors said it all started on its own site on Feb. 13, when an unknown user posted a linked file called latestpics.tgz on its forum, purporting to be screenshots of the latest Leopard Mac OS X 10.5. When decompressed, the file reportedly appeared as a JPEG icon, but was in fact an executable file in disguise.
Airencracken
02-16-2006, 01:03 PM
this was bound to happen someday, especially with the advent of Mactels.
InfiniteNothing
02-16-2006, 01:06 PM
Lol
shocky123
02-16-2006, 01:25 PM
No WAY!

I never saw this coming!

*smirks*

~Kyle
Grubbie
02-16-2006, 03:20 PM
People forget that if you were going to create something nasty for fun, most likely you are doing it to target the majority of computer users. In that case you are looking at windows.

I look at it this way, if FireFox had 95% marketshare, more people would be trying to exploit it.
InfiniteNothing
02-16-2006, 06:17 PM
Then how did vista get a virus way back when no one was using it?
Jeffbx
02-17-2006, 05:28 AM
'cuz it's still a MS product, and millions of copies will be in production when it's released. Everyone wants to write an exploit for MS products.
InfiniteNothing
02-17-2006, 08:50 AM
Why not wait until then and write for XP in the mean while? Why did there use to be OS 9 viruses? I don't think they're all out to get MS; MS is just an easy target. I think that logic is akin to saying no thief would try and steal just $20.
Grubbie
02-17-2006, 11:03 AM
Why not wait until then and write for XP in the mean while? Why did there use to be OS 9 viruses? I don't think they're all out to get MS; MS is just an easy target. I think that logic is akin to saying no thief would try and steal just $20.


But most people who write viruses aren't doing it just for fun to see if they can do it. You get the couple of people who do write them on smaller OS's but most of the time people go for the biggest impact.

It iss also easier to write a virus for a product in early beta then released form.