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Ok well not REALLY.. it's a trojan virus on the computer, but it DISGUISED itself as "appletX - class - OSX/Exploit.smid.B.trojan" under Sun's Java deployment.

Just found it funny that this customer of mine, who has a friend who is a Mac prophet, is infected on his PC by something pretending to be a Mac component.

So, vulnerable are Macs? My work comp is an iMac and I love it. I don't have an antivirus program on it b/c I assumed it was fairly safe, and besides I wouldn't dare go to any questionable sites using a work comp.

However, I couldn't connect to the net not too long ago, and I called campus IT, and they told me my computer was spreading viruses on the network. I told him was a Mac and he just scoffed at me. So, I got McAfee or Symantec through the university (free), and scanned and found nothing. I called IT again and they didn't know what to say after I told him that. They reconnected my internet, and haven't had a problem since. Odd.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Macs are NOT safer than PCs because they are better technology! They are safer than PCs because PCs are more prevalent and when you are writing a virus you write for the greatest possible spread you can get. If there were as many Mac owners as PC owners, you'd see WAY more Mac viruses. It's just a waste of time to write them right now as they won't spread.

There is malware out there for Macs. Just recently a new one came out using the old PC tactic of offering free screensavers. It embeds itself into applications (Safari, Firefox and iChat) and collects personal information from those and files stored locally.

Dave said:

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Macs are NOT safer than PCs because they are better technology! They are safer than PCs because PCs are more prevalent and when you are writing a virus you write for the greatest possible spread you can get. If there were as many Mac owners as PC owners, you'd see WAY more Mac viruses. It's just a waste of time to write them right now as they won't spread.

Click to expand...

^-- You want to do as much damage as possible. Why write something where you only do like 10% damage while you can do 80%+ possible damage (MS still hold around 80% computing right? I heard it drop.)

Applets are Java creations. They will run on any platform that has a JVM installed, Mac or PC.
Might be something like a Macro virus.

--Patrick

All I know is that Avast didn't find it, nor did MalwareBytes. I had to stick it in deep cleaning and sick Nod32 on it.. and even then Nod32 wouldn't get rid of it.. had to manually delete.. but it's working now.

Matt² said:

All I know is that Avast didn't find it, nor did MalwareBytes. I had to stick it in deep cleaning and sick Nod32 on it.. and even then Nod32 wouldn't get rid of it.. had to manually delete.. but it's working now.

Click to expand...

You know all this antivirus/antispyware and such are "reactionary" defense. It is pretty hard to find all the scenarios that an attacker might use. So if it is a new version of the virus/code, our defense might not even detect it until those defense software are updated with the new "detection" signature.

The best rule of thumb would be (at least this is what I do)
1. Have ad block on and no script. Don't run ANY script unless you know it is legit. I have everything block and temporary allow each session unless I know for sure they are safe (like this forum)
2. Don't click any links /email that you are not sure where it came from.
3. Avoid downloading stuff you are not sure of the content. Try to scan them before launching and even then, be careful some software has their own spyware in them.

Chibibar said:

^-- You want to do as much damage as possible. Why write something where you only do like 10% damage while you can do 80%+ possible damage (MS still hold around 80% computing right? I heard it drop.)

Click to expand...

There's also something to be said for an unfilled niche. For those viruses that just want to spread as much as possible, the Mac is extra effort for little extra gain. For malware that also has the goal of financial gain, targeting Macs may gather information that those harvesting from PCs haven't had a shot at yet. Combine Apple's growing popularity with a user group that's not used to having to practice safe computing (and may have a higher average income) and you've got some pretty tempting targets for identity theft.

figmentPez;398571][QUOTE=Chibibar said:

^-- You want to do as much damage as possible. Why write something where you only do like 10% damage while you can do 80%+ possible damage (MS still hold around 80% computing right? I heard it drop.)

Click to expand...

There's also something to be said for an unfilled niche. For those viruses that just want to spread as much as possible, the Mac is extra effort for little extra gain. For malware that also has the goal of financial gain, targeting Macs may gather information that those harvesting from PCs haven't had a shot at yet. Combine Apple's growing popularity with a user group that's not used to having to practice safe computing (and may have a higher average income) and you've got some pretty tempting targets for identity theft.[/QUOTE]

oh. I'm not saying Apple won't be a target. It will be. The popularity of iPhone (and other smart phones) iPad (and other successors) will be a GREAT target for them since people would think "Apple = no virus"