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'Opener' Malware Targets OS X

the_webmaestro writes "Macintouch.com is covering the "opener" malware, a new and potential vulnerability which affects Mac OS X. If true (it's not on HoaxBusters yet), this could become a Mac user's worst nightmare... Worse even than Microsoft Word macro viruses (heretofore the only real 'viruses' which threatened Mac users)! Normally, when ever I'd see virus alerts, I'd revel in the fact that as a Mac user, I was immune (except for the slow-down of the net, the loss in productivity of my colleagues, and the increase in SPAM--often coming from my friends and colleagues). [Sigh] Perhaps, my days of telling friends and family that there are no viruses for Macs may be coming to an end. There have been stories."

10 of 400 comments (clear)

  1. As Nelson would say. by richy+freeway · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    HA-HA! ;P

  2. Re: FUD... by metlin · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    And the fact that you have been modded insightful and not funny, has subtle irony written all over :-).

  3. Re:mac immune? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Retard, it's late 2004. Mac means OS X.

    Feel free to name one virus for OS X dumbfuck.

  4. Re:mac immune? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    I'm not a retard you crap-head.

    What I meant was that there are viruses for Macs too. Can't understand proper language, can you fucktard.

    Go suck, you dumbshit sob. Retard, indeed.

    Fuck off you asshole.

    -RIP

  5. Re:mac immune? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Don't wet your panties just because I made you look like an idiot.

  6. Re:Perceptions by lew3004 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    It's funny you said that. 100% of the Apple owners I've ever met ARE snobs.

    --
    I still can't get the screen shots of Castle Wolfenstein for the Apple IIe out of my head.
  7. Re:FUD... by gad_zuki! · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    >this is Slashdot, you should know tthe possibilities of bash scripting.

    Really? I find a lot of the most vocal linux advocates to be using KDE or Gnome for everything and webmin for everything else. They scoff at my simple command line based cygwin setup because "its not linux."

    Linux users are definitely geeky, but no offense they arent all command line hackers or even half-assed system admins. OSX users are even below this. I often port scan my subnet and find default services running with default settings on various distros. Its not just mandrake users either.

    Thats the thing with popularity, there is a chance the fetished item will be co-opted by those much less interested than the original people and unlike the original "fans" they tend to be loud, obnoxious, insulting, etc. Its kinda like when the mainstream radio crowd "discovers" some indie band. Fanaticism runs deep and no one wants to talk about what equipment they are using this tour, the quality of songwriting, etc just "turn that shit up."

  8. Re:It's a lame virus, but YOUR MISSING THE POINT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Lets see.

    This is a virus.

    How did it get installed?

    Well how did it, dumbfuck?

    Thru a application? Which application, how and why did that application have root access?

    Did he install some shareware from somewere? Is that shareware commonly used?

    Did it come from a remote exploit?

    Did it come from a screwed up e-mail client? Which one, do mac users commmonly use it?

    This bash script being installed means (I'll try to explain it slowly and carefully because you obviously can't think far beyond the nose on your face) that there was a exploitable vunerability on his machine prior to the bash script being installed that allowed the attacker root access on his OS X machine in some manner.

    Now read that 5 more times until it sinks in.

    I'll say it again:

    How did it get installed?
    What application?
    What manner?
    what remote exploit?
    Was it a remote exploit?
    Was it a application?

    Is it a known problem?
    Is it a problem common to all OS X machines?
    Is it something that was patched?
    Is it something that is a problem on all OS X machines?

    You see I use software other then Windows. Instead of buying scanners we actually fix our software so that this doesn't happen again.

    That's why OSes like Linux have had maybe 20 viruses, FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD have less then that, and OS X has so few viruses.

    Not fixing problems and blaming it on the user is why Windows has 80,000+ viruses.

    So how was this software installed on his computer?

    So do you NOW understand what I am saying, or are you going to continue to look like a asshat on the internet by smoothering your ignorance all over it again?

  9. Re:All machines are vulnerable to this by Analog+Anomaly · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    What a dumbass. Of course, all mac users are dumbasses. Oh I've got a mac. I don't need an anti-virus because there arn't any mac viruses out there. no, thay make norton, sophos, and several others for the mac for absolutely no reason, it's not like i can rhyme off a short list of mac virii off the top of my head.. oh wait.. i can.. Dukakis Wormcode Independance Day Blink MerryXmas Broka a mac burningfuse byebyeinit cdef conan the librarian DOS sHELL enchanted menus hal flypaper init29 initm init17 munch netbunny netdino off hook the list goes on and on. Seriously, you retards who think your OS of choice is so secure and immune to virii really need to get half a clue. Microsoft Windows is a big target because it's so widely used and holds such a large share of the market. Other operating systems are lesser targets because they're user bases are smaller. Just because your OS isn't dropping dead every 30 days anyway doesn't mean that you're not vunerable to virii. I'm a proponent of linux myself, simply because it's done right and can run for years at a time without bleeding memory like a chicken with it's head cut off and body strung up by it's toes. I prefer slackware, but as great as it is, no operating system is truely immune to all forms of malware. Malware is just much less prominent on some. Common sense would tell you this. Neuter the stupid. Why? Because they breed like rabbits, meanwhile those with half a clue have one, maybe two kids at best. The idiots currently severly outnumber those with the intelligence to say.. use a pair of chopsticks without poking their own eye out, find themselves drowning in a sea of stupidity.

  10. (MOD UP!) by Billly+Gates · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Thank you! You answered my point.

    As long as the admin has the power to install bash scripts and the scripts have enough power to do damage then yes, its vulnerability open by default in MacOSX. Unless All= {all} All, means something different in Darwin then it does under regular Unix I assume its close enough as root. Just because its not technically root does not mean the default account has too many priveldges by default to make it less secure.

    Windows is super insecure because users are admin by default. I see the same principle.

    I do not understand why this topic is such flamebait. It was a simple question and an explanation. Put the fandom aside? Users should not be logged in as admin and should know the difference. Since most apple users are not unix whizzes they probably have no idea about this concept so Apple should be a little bit more carefull or at least try to educate people like Linux distro's do about being root.

    Since almost all of you with one exception did not know this and it reconfirms my belief that users are ignorant and Apple should let them have the option for a regular users account upon default install. Distro's like SuSE even have a red background screen when you log in as root to remind them that its not a good idea unless you know what you are doing.

    If the moderates want to mod this down as well go right ahead.