Received the following from a friend. > Apple quietly includes malware prevention update in Mac OS X 10.6.4 > > By > Katie Marsal > > Published: 12:25 PM EST > > Apple silently updated its Snow Leopard malware protection in this week's > Mac OS X 10.6.4 update, targeting a Trojan that disguises itself as iPhoto. > > Though the new protection wasn't specifically listed in any of Apple's > documentation accompanying Mac OS X 10.6.4, security firm Sophos > discovered the update > in the XProtect.plist file, which contains signatures of potential Mac > threats. The new threat, dubbed HellRTS by Apple, has been distributed by > hackers > since April in the form of iPhoto. > > Referred to as OSX/Pinhead-B by Sophos, the Trojan monitors browser activity > unbeknownst to Mac users. It also makes a machine remotely accessible to the > attacker, who can take complete control of the computer. > > "If you did get infected by this malware then hackers would be able to send > spam email from your Mac, take screenshots of what you are doing, access > your > files and clipboard and much more," said Graham Cluley, senior technology > consultant with Sophos. > > Cluley took a negative response to Apple's secrecy, suggesting that the > Cupertino, Calif., company should instead make note that the latest update > to Snow > Leopard helps to thwart a potentially dangerous Trojan. > > "You have to wonder whether their keeping quiet about an anti-malware > security update like this was for marketing reasons," he wrote on the > company's blog. > > Last September, Cluley also made note that users > upgrading to Snow Leopard > would see their version of Flash for Mac downgraded to an older, less > secure version. Apple addressed the issue with an update > a week later. > > Malware > > Released last August, Snow Leopard came with a built-in > antimalware feature. > While the previous version of Mac OS X, Leopard, flagged Internet downloads > with metadata that alerted users when downloading files from the Web, Snow > Leopard added an > additional warning > when disk images containing known malware installers are opened. > > Apple released its latest update for Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6.4, > on Tuesday. > The security and maintenance update fixed issues that could cause a Mac > keyboard or trackpad to become responsive, and also resolved a problem that > could > prevent some Adobe Creative Suite 3 applications from opening. > > table with 2 columns and 2 rows > Filed under : > Mac OS X
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