Mac Defender Bites Back 8 Hours After Apple Update
Mac Defender Bites Back 8 Hours After Apple Update
Posted 06/01/2011 at 10:39am
| by Brad Chacos
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Let's pretend that rather than being a massively successful technology company, Apple was actually, you know, an apple. The bright, shiny red kind the old lady down the street hands out on Halloween. It looks really delicious on the outside, but deep down inside, there's a terrible secret lurking. If Apple is an apple, Mac Defender is its hidden razor. And not even half a day after Apple finally stopped twiddling its thumbs and released a patch to combat the malware, Mac Defender's authors released a new version that's already bypassing the new protections.
Apple released Security Update 2011-003 yesterday, and Ed Bott at ZDNet reports the new Mac Defender variation showed up at 9:24 P.M. Pacific time – less than eight hours after the patch. Bott says the newest variation comes with a different name, Mdinstall.pkg, but works the same as before; it still manages to install without the user ever having to put in their administrative password. And so the vicious cycle continues.
On the plus side, the new File Quarantine definitions supplied by the patch definitely halts the older version of Mac Defender in its tracks. File Quarantine pops when the program tries to install, clearly informing the user of its malicious intent and asking permission to move it to the trash. It's an effective fix; too bad it only worked for one afternoon.
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satrain18
June 02, 2011 at 10:17am
Anybody wanna guess what Apple will call their AV software? Personally, I'm guessing it's gonna be something cute, like "First Aid".
Silencer
June 02, 2011 at 3:28pm
In case you didn't know, that name's already been used.
In case you did know, good one, but I'd say more like "Band-Aid", than "First Aid", lol!
I'm a 'top' Windows Virus Security expert, (among other disciplines,) and I can tell you, they are -> totally screwed.
Now it's all PR. Heh. Heh heh. I think 'cute' is about right.
Spud
June 01, 2011 at 10:08pm
You'd think the phishers would start to target the Apple market as I'm sure NOBODY protects any of their info on apple products...it would be a field day...hell, MAC users can't even use two mouse keys, you know that they can't figure out how to secure their private info! Idiots.
Craig-g
June 01, 2011 at 2:58pm
I only want it to get bad enough for that fireball guy to retract his 'Wolf!' statement :)
Silencer
June 01, 2011 at 2:01pm
Weird to root for a virus...
I bookmarked this. Next time I hear "Apples/Macs don't get viruses." Oh ya.
Apple sucks. Another leg is kicked out from under their pedastal. Awesome.
Weird to root for a virus... Guess I dislike some things more than viruses.
Oh, check this sht out:
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/17/bbc-loving-apple-looks-like-a-religion-to-an-mri-scan/
http://www.hardocp.com/news/2011/05/20/explosion_at_foxconn_ipad_factory_kills_2_in_china/
lol! :O)
Ashton2091
June 01, 2011 at 1:07pm
This only makes me happy because it smashes the rumor that Apple can't get a virus or any infection for that matter. Now, with that said, I feel bad for the user who was completely decived by Apple. What apple failed to tell them is that, their market share is so low (when compared to Windows) that very few care to even write an infection for Apple products. Anywho, yes at this point Windows PC's get more viruses, but only because they (we) have been targeted for a long time. Again, that is because of Windows marketshare being so high. It makes sense.
This is bittersweet news. Bitter for the customers, sweet to know that Apple's cover as perfect has been blown :-)
Kinetic
June 01, 2011 at 4:44pm
Ditto. I've always felt that there are really only two things wrong with Apple products:
1- Their price
2- Their smug community
Marthian
June 01, 2011 at 5:35pm
yeah that pretty much sums it up.
Although if on the rare chance I ever did wanted to buy a Macbook or any apple product, I would really like to be able to choose its color rather than just have silver/whatever color they just sell.
Kethsar
June 01, 2011 at 3:17pm
Holy crap, someone has almost the exact same view as me. I explained to my older brother's girlfriend a week ago that Mac's don't get viruses not because they are inpenetrable, which they aren't, but because the market share of Macs is so low, no one gives a damn. High five! :D
tiger_shark
June 01, 2011 at 12:12pm
oh happy days! tee hee!
hey, how's the humble pie taste apple fan boys? or maybe you're all thick enough to believe if jobs says it's nothing to worry. lol
ThomFrost
June 01, 2011 at 11:53am
it was just a matter of time and because apple has denied it and blinded them selfs to it they now have to play catch up.
Gezzer
June 01, 2011 at 11:28am
Oh this is so funny. ROTFLMAO
I'm starting to think this whole thing is about karmic debt over all those Justin Long comercials.
What makes it even sweeter is how a Apple tech stated in a previous article here that it was nothing compared to what PC's get.
Apple's long running PR concept to deny everything that makes their products look normal instead of "blessed" by their god Steve Jobs is really starting to make them look like idiots. I wonder how they'll spin this one. lol
ThomFrost
June 01, 2011 at 11:55am
god jobs does not have to deny he just comes down from his apple cyber shrine and tells all the apple users to move on nothing to see here take your red pill and move along.
hammeredtoast
June 01, 2011 at 10:53am
Well, I still think this is funny. That'll teach em!
</unrequited nerd rage>
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