Even though the first computer virus, Elk Cloner written in 1982, was for the Apple II, almost all viruses written today are for the PC and finding a Mac virus is very rare. This is partly because of the PC’s ubiquitousness and partly because the default user on a Mac does not have “administrator” privilege, making it harder to infect the operating system.
ZDNet is reporting that iBotnet, a virus targeted at Macs has been released and researchers are seeing denial of services attacks coming from a Mac OS botnet. A botnet is a series of computers that work together to perform a nefarious task such as overloading a website with requests, essentially shutting it down to other users (denial of service) or sending unsolicited emails (spam).
iBotnet is spread as a malicious file in a rogue distribution of “iWork 09” and “Photoshop CS4” that is offered as a free but illegal download on Torrent networks. The copies of “iWork 09” and “Photoshop CS4” available for purchase from Apple, Adobe and retail stores are not infected.
iBotnet was first discovered in January of 2009 by Intego, a company that sells internet security and privacy software for Mac computers. It was originally dubbed “OSX.Trojan.iServices.A”. It is a trojan that “hides” inside a seemingly innocuous file that activates once the pirated software is installed.
If you have an unlicensed or free copy of these programs obtained from any peer to peer network, chances are your Mac carries the infected file and may be a member of the botnet network. This is just one of the reasons why you shouldn’t download pirated software. Another good reason is that it is illegal in every part of the world.
If, in the past, you have downloaded pirated versions of software and you want to scan for and remove the iBotnet virus, it is recommended that you install a virus protection program for the Mac. The following anti-virus programs will detect and remove the iBotnet and other viruses:
- Virus Barrier by Intego (https://www.intego.com/buynow/home.asp)
- Norton Internet Security for Macintosh (http://www.symantec.com/norton/macintosh/internet-security)
- PC Tools iAntiVirus (http://www.iantivirus.com/)
- McAfee Virus Scan for Mac (http://www.mcafee.com/us/enterprise/products/anti_virus/file_servers_desktops/virex.html)
- ClamXav (http://www.clamxav.com) This is a free anti-virus checker
These programs typically also have features that check your email for viruses and remove them if found.
References:
http://www.cknow.com/vtutor/HistoryofViruses.html
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=3157
http://www.intego.com/news/ism0901.asp
http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=ibotnet
http://antivirus.about.com/od/antivirussoftwarereviews/tp/aamacvir.htm
