Hackers aim ruse at Apple computer users
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 5/26/2011
Hackers are out to trick Apple computer users into infecting Macintosh machines with malicious code pretending to be legitimate security software.
Apple on Wednesday was warning about a “phishing scam” that stealthily directs Mac users to fake websites which pop-up bogus warnings that computers are infected with viruses.
Hackers attempt to scare people into installing programs that pretend to be virus blockers but are actually malicious code.
“Its ultimate goal is to get the user’s credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes,” Apple said at its support website, which detailed how to avoid or remove the virus.
Names of the fake anti-virus programs included MacDefender, MacProtector, and MacSecurity, according to Apple.
Hackers route people to booby-trapped websites by rigging online addresses to rank high in search engine results for topics of possible interest to Macintosh users, according to an Intego computer security blog.
“This application is very well designed, and looks professional,” Intego said.
“There are a number of different screens, and the grammar and spelling are correct, the buttons are attractive, and the overall look and feel of the program give it a professional look.”
Rogue security software, referred to as “scareware,” was one of the most common ways for cyber criminals worldwide to bilk people out of money and steal information from computers, Microsoft said in a report this month.
The ploy seeks to dupe Internet users by pretending to find viruses and other problems on computers and then offering to sell a program to fix the situation. The software being hawked is a virus.
Computer users were advised to guard against threats by keeping programs updated, using reputable security software, and not clicking links or opening files without making certain they are safe.
Windows computers dominate the worldwide market, making them popular targets for hackers. The rising popularity of Apple computers is evidently catching the attention of cyber crooks.
Source: http://news.malaysia.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4873679
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I was told that MAC is very stable and seldom had records of virus infections. Now the hackers are so professionals, in fact they are a profession! It is hard for computer illiterate to distinguish what’s real or fake. That was one of the reason why original MAC software is a bit pricey. Hmm… what to do. If you can afford a MAC, buy original software and don’t download unreliable software.
Oh no. One of the attractions of using a Mac is its stability, lack of virus problems and decent security. I am not surprised that the hackers and cyber criminals are starting to target Apple computers – they really are getting quite popular – but it means that I have to start worrying about firewalls, antivirus software etc again, something i left behind when I migrated to a Mac 3 years ago.
For what its worth, there is a free antivirus for mac available, called Clam Xav (www.clamxav.com). I have heard it is quite good, but have not tried it myself.
Hackers and Anti-virus are in constant battle since computing started. When a computer is infested with virus, someone else can take over the computer and do things for some specific purposes like doing a DDOS attack to a server. I was told that Russian mafia makes more money from online than other illegal activities such as drugs, etc.
So please be careful with what you install and use anti-virus, anti-spyware as much as possible.
While technology is giving us all the edge, advantage and convenience, it always come with a price to pay when crooks are trying to find their ways to con and cheat users.
Cyber crimes will definitely be on the rise, be it with the software you can buy on line or friends that you can accquainted in FB and other social media.
We just have to be super viligant all the time!
Scary indeed!! but thankfully Apple will be coming up with a patch that will block this very soon..: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4650
Scary indeed!! but thankfully Apple will be coming up with a patch that will block this very soon..