New Strain of Mac OS X Malware Found - Tom's Guide

Tom's Guide, By Jill Scharr

Following on the heels of the release of OS X 10.10 Yosemite, here's some news that's sure to rain on Apple's parade: A new form of OS X malware has been discovered. The malware, identified by Moscow-based security company Kaspersky Lab, contains a Trojan, a keylogger and a backdoor, letting the cybercriminals behind it continue to access infected computers.

The Mac malware, dubbed Ventir, is as sophisticated as some of the best PC malware, suggesting that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting Macs. Mac OS X was once malware-free, if only because no one bothered attacking it, but that's changed as Mac have gained significant market share.

When Ventir gets on a Mac, the Trojan's "dropper" component checks to see if it has root accessto the infected computer -- a crucial decision because that affects where the malware can install itself. If malware gains root access, it can do far more damage -- which is why users of any PC, whether Mac or Windows, should not use administrator-privileged accounts to browse the Internet. Read more.