Mac Malware Spies On Email, Survives Reboots
By: Mathew Schwartz, InformationWeek
Mac users, beware new malware targeting Apple OS X systems that's disguised as an Adobe Flash Player installer.
That warning comes via antivirus software vendor Kaspersky Lab, which said it first spotted the Crisis malware--also known as Morcut--last week. While not widespread, the malware's ability to intercept email and IM, among other features, demonstrates that malicious applications written to target Macs can be just as powerful as malware that comes gunning for PCs.
Concerns over Mac malware have been growing since the Flashback malware infected an estimated 600,000 Apple OS X systems earlier this year. Apple ultimately patched multiple versions of its operating system against the malware, and also took the unusual step of altering OS X to disable outdated versions of Java and the Adobe Flash Player, to help prevent malware from exploiting known vulnerabilities in the software.
