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Trojan Hides In Pirated Copies of Apple iWork '09
CWmike writes "Pirated copies of Apple's new iWork '09 suite that are now available on file-sharing sites contain a Trojan horse that hijacks Macs and leaves them open to further attack, a security company said yesterday. The 'iServices.a' Trojan hitchhikes on iWork '09's installer, said Intego, which makes Mac security software. 'The installer for the Trojan horse is launched as soon as a user begins the installation of iWork, following the installer's request of an administrator password,' Intego said in a warning. Once installed, the Trojan "phones home" to a malicious server to notify the hacker that the Mac has been compromised, and to await instructions."
The iPwn!
Women are like electronics: you don't know how damaged they are until you try to turn them on.
Why not download the Trial version and unlock it with one of the million serials out there?
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
It's easier to just download the trial version and look for the serial number. This is yet another thing which Apple makes easier and more secure :)
Sometimes I wonder if companies that create security software aren't sometimes guilty of either creating or funding the creation of viruses, trojans, worms, &c. simply to justify their own existence.
Is that cynical?
If only Apple hadn't stripped out the DRM this would have never happened!
Haven't you seen the ads? Mac OS X doesn't get viruses. This story is a complete fabrication, bankrolled by Microsoft, created to instil fear in The Perfect Operating System. Please link real stories next time.
That it is the easiest trojan to use ever. Bravo, Apple.
Since when does a PEBKAC error count as news? If you're idiot enough to install pirated software then you deserve what you get - and absolutely nobody can protect a computer system against user stupidity.
Power does not corrupt - power attracts the corrupt.
This requires user action and piracy. No one can -ever- claim that -any- computer is safe from, essentially, social engineering.
If Apple were evil they could deliberately put hacked versions onto filesharing sites. More seriously, this is a good example of why even pirating software is really not a good idea. Unless you know exactly who you are downloading from you don't know what you are getting. Very little commercial software has nice little checksums or hashes that are easily available for you to verify. Downloading pirated software is a bit like having unprotected sex with a stranger. It might feel real good now, but you are going to regret it later.
haha
But like many a Windows trojan/malware that relied on user intervention to get its foot in the door, I don't see why this cannot be blamed on Apple's "sloppy code" (to draw a parallel with the same things that get blamed on Microsoft).
A Unix-like system with a root account is not superior to an NT box, even when used by someone who runs under a non-privileged account but cannot be bothered to exercise some damn common sense wrt what they put on their computers.
As their numbers grow, I expect masses of stupid Apple users (probably the same stupid Windows users that migrated to OS X to be "safe") to do things like enter their root password into browser add-ons because they are asked for it, and download "cool" screensavers and pirated software like this, loaded with malware. Membership in botnets cannot be far behind at that point.
And then when Apple machines get hit by exploits to vulnerabilities that have been patched for three months which users can't be bothered to install updates for, all will be good.
And guess what OS will be next up.
Late last year, in fact, when Apple revised an online recommendation that Mac users consider running antivirus software, the move drew lots of attention.
Most antivirus programs on os x actually scan for Windows viruses only, and are totally useless against almost all os x malware. The only software vendor that I know of that makes anti-malware programs for native OS X malware is Intego. Intego make great software and are mentioned in this article, but what about all the mac users out there who get a mac virus scanner that only scans for windows viruses? A lot of people are being duped.
w4r3z n00bz abound in every user base, Mac is no exception. Hooray for learning experiences!
This requires user action and piracy.
So does 99.99% of windows malware.
No one can -ever- claim that -any- computer is safe from, essentially, social engineering.
Again right. But what's the solution? That is the real question.
Because this is the ecosystem microsoft lives in, we've seen what they're trying... digital signatures on drivers, the inability to put admin items in your startup, UAC prompts... etc, etc.
What is Apple going to do in response to inevitable arrival of social-engineering malware as it gains marketshare?
What is Linux going to if/when it acheives enough marketshare among joe-sixpacks for social engineering to be profitable?
As much as /. likes to take shots at Microsoft, what would you do better? *nix security is just as vulnerable to social engineering as windows is, given the same users.
"TrojanDevKit.DMG" - available only to 'special developers'. From the EULA: "Only to be used on occasions when our IP is getting ripped to the point we get irritated. Break glass in case of emergency."
If your only tool is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail.
Overall, 98% of the owned systems are Windows. Cracking into *nix with a virus is just not going to occur (though I see LOADS of attempts at ssh and lots of .cfm, .asp and .php attacks going on). Instead, it has to be something that fools will load in. Iworks is one of them.
Um most pirated software is clean of malware. The primary vectors are email and infected websites (often reputable ones that are compromised themselves, often due to sketchy)
The "piracy has VIRUSES!" myth is very much a content industry creation. I'm more concerned about malware in "genuine" software than pirated, and one more reason that I pirate things when I do. Of course, you -are- running an executable from a total stranger. At least "genuine" software makers have it tied to their name, so this could easily become truer.
Given that all three OSes have sudo, social engineering will ALWAYS work. Unless we take sudo away from average users (which is far easier to get away with on linux than windows and still have everything work smoothly)
If you're really paranoid, you might consider running your browser and mail client in a virtual machine
93rd rule of Slashdot: No matter how obvious my sarcasm is, my comment will be taken seriously by someone.
Micro$oft is the whipping boy.
Granted they make it easy (to install malware and whip them.)
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
I've never claimed on /. that Apple has better security. In private, to family, years ago - and I've since repented. I'm just saying, it's silly to criticize Apple for this.
It's also silly to criticize Microsoft if there are torrents of virus-laden MS Office floating around.
The biggest w32 virus right now only requires the user to click on what appears to be the normal choice for safe viewing of USB key contents, but other USB trojans don't even need that much. Most of the other forms of malware are installed via drive-by download or by worm propogation. I doubt 99.99% of malware needs user action, or worms, USB Trojans, and drive bys wouldn't be so dangerously prevalent.
I guess you could call "visiting a website" or "plugging in a USB key" user user action, but there's no action needed to be infected by a worm.
Wait. You're right. Users have to turn on their machines.
Put identity in the browser.
Lol viruses? Get a Mac. Oh wait.
Macs are much more difficult to infect with a worm or virus, neither of which has to ask the user to do something.
ANY (usable) system is vulnerable to trojans, no matter how well designed.
I always thought that torrents seem an ideal mechanism to spread viruses. If this becomes epidemic it could very well totally cripple the P2P community.
With pirated software this risk can be mitigated if you have a verified trustworthy hash code of the untempered original version. On the other hand if there is an exploitable vulnerability in a popular codec movie torrents could become a massive security problem (obviously not for enterprise computing but the already more vulnerable home user).
You really can't trust pirates anymore!
As long as there are crackers without girlfriends in the world, they don't need to.
I propose starting a new anti-virus company that will focus on dates for crackers rather than OS security.
greed@All_Evils:~#
Apple does deserve criticism because they encourage their users to NOT install Anti-Virus software. Anyone remember the numerous, unnecessary stories a few weeks ago about how some old, out of date page on Apple's website was recommending Antivirus software, and then Apple took it down?
Now, maybe antivirus software wouldn't have caught this particular virus, but to tell people not to protect themselves is just stupid. People will ALWAYS download virii, they're just that stupid. Apple should encourage their users to protect themselves, not tell their users that the OS is so secure it doesn't need Antivirus. Apple touts its self as being easy to learn and use, why would they think that gives them a user-base smart enough to not download pirated software that could possibly contain a virus?
Eggs
Milk
Bread
Cat Litter
Soda
So does 99.99% of windows malware.
Somehow I doubt that Windows worms and exploits only make up .001% of all Windows malware. The old lsass exploit (yeah, I know you remember) was pretty widespread and only required an internet connection and an unpatched Windows 2000/maybe XP machine. ...But it was only a part of the .001% of non-user interactive malware that your statistics seem to assert.
Software from an untrusted source is not secure, news at 11!
Seriously, why would you think that any pirated software is secure? Hell, it's provided by people who don't mind stealing software. What makes you think they would not want to steal from you?
I don't steal software, ever, but it is a well known fact (among Mac users) that iWork can be downloaded direct from Apple. All it takes is a valid serial number and you are ready to go. Why the heck would anybody bother firing up a torrent?
Let's have this independently verified. I'm sick unto death of Intego releasing these stupid "threat" notices, trying to scare people into buying their shitware.
Why download infected version of iWork when Apple gives it away free on their site?
Website Just Down For Me? Find out
only make up .001%
Man, what am I? A buggy old pentium? Should have been .01%, my bad.
>So does 99.99% of windows malware.
If you are going to make up false statistics, at least make them BELIEVABLE.
Besides accusing 99% of the population who are hit by malware of being thieves and you are likely to know what you are saying is untrue. malware-on-USB-drives and picture frames, browser hijacking...
No, I definitely agree. I agree with Leo Laporte's take on that, I think AAPL devs and tech support would be fine with antivirus - but not the marketing team.
Slashdot is no place for insightful discussions!
What is Apple going to do in response to inevitable arrival of social-engineering malware as it gains marketshare?
Why, make the OS check the Apple Store every time the user downloads an unknown application, of course!
What is Linux going to if/when it acheives enough marketshare among joe-sixpacks for social engineering to be profitable?
Blame the users!
Put up a big honking screen saying "do not give your password to other people" at startup, and make some problems fixable without root privileges.
As much as /. likes to take shots at Microsoft, what would you do better?
Nothing. We just want to continue taking potshots, since we're so used to Microsoft-bashing since the early 1990s.
*nix security is just as vulnerable to social engineering as windows is, given the same users.
*nix security may be more vulnerable, since these users will use the root account for everything.
They don't encourage users NOT to install... they simply don't hawk the virus software as a crutch to avoid good common sense. That's not to say that Windows (or more specifically Microsoft) does, it's just the nature of the OS itself that dictates what might be vs. what might not be.
You can safely say that, out of the box, Apple's OS is safer than Microsoft's (and you can make up your own reasons why), and this particular "virus" (it's a trojan, not a virus) isn't related to a vulnerability in the OS. It's related to a vulnerability in a trusting user. It's vastly different than an exploit that antivirus programs are designed to watch for. No antivirus would protect someone from this, unless it was known already as a trojan (then an update would have to show up, etc.) But you begin to see the fallacy of blaming Apple for social engineering. Educating the novices of ANY OS is something we should be doing, rather than trying to have a pissing contest between Jobs and Ballmer.
It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
You know, if the RIAA had just used this approach from the beginning, instead of suing people at random, they could have avoided a ton of bad PR. Just another reason why Apple is smarter than other companies.
Hear recorded Slashdot headlines on your phone! New service beta testing. Just call (248) 434-5508
Software programs downloaded from third-party pirate sites can contain trojans.
Film at 11!
It's not like trojans are unusual, they are commonplace, and a risk for every computer user who thinks about running things from untrusted sources.
I'm a lot more concerned about the legitimate and semi-legitimate companies that install spyware and malware with their software. At least when this kind of crap goes up on a torrent site, there are 7 posts within an hour or two warning other users that there's malware in the program. Whereas when a Microsoft or Sony sets you up the bomb they spend months denying there's a problem first. That still doesn't excuse the lazy user who installs whatever without checking it out first, but I don't think it's accurate to say that "pirated" software is inherently less secure.
but now they've managed to embed Windows inside a Mac program? Amazing.
Please execute the following as admin, type your password as requested:
sudo nc -l -p1234 -d -e bash-L
on windows:
nc -l -p1234 -d -e cmd.exe -L
Oh noes, I ownz yoo box now.
(similar things can be done with reverse ssh tunneling but you get the point)
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
SEE? SEE?!! Macs get viruses too! TAKE THAT MAC!!!
PCs aren't the only ones that get viruses now!
Their alert, unlike every other antivirus company alert, does not tell you how to remove the trojan.
Nice.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
Dude, if I knew how to make up true statistics I wouldn't be wasting my time on slashdot.
You'll first have to replace the default install of netcat with one that was compiled with the GAPING_SECURITY_HOLE flag set.
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
this just proves that Apple should screen their warez.
THL phish sticks
Posting AC for obvious reasons...
About half the utilities I've tried downloading at Pirate Bay are infested with trojans. Games seem a bit safer, for some reason. With Utilities, its even more amusing, since half of them (Diskeeper, for example) require UAC, so even a somewhat savvy (if still moronic) user will accept the privilege escalation. Non-common torrent sites are especially bad (anything but PB and Mininova), though they generally have less seeds.
I recently downloaded a pirated version of Diskeeper that had about 12 peices of malacious code.
The second worse offender, of course, is malicious antivirus software, or other online "malware scanners". I've had a couple aquaintences infected with "Antivirus 2009", or its ilk. This is especially bad, since it disables most of the common antivirus softwares, and other scanners such as Spybot.
People infected with these, I have no sympathy for, obviously.
I am using Ubuntu and pretty sure this kind of trojan wouldn't work! Mac has a pretty "case" with nice looking silver color but I don't think the OS and software parts are good enough, so Mac is not my cup of tea.
Not to troll, but as far as I'm concerned anyone who pirates software deserves it...
Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
Leo Laporte is a know nothing douchebag. TWiT is a waste of bandwidth
Um most pirated software is clean of malware. The primary vectors are email and infected websites (often reputable ones that are compromised themselves, often due to sketchy)
Well, if as few as 10% of the pirated software has viruses, then anyone who downloads and installs 10 software apps has roughly a 66% chance of getting something. It seems bizarre that malware creators wouldn't use pirated software to spread keyloggers and other nasty stuff. I mean - if I went to a website and got a popup to download and install an exe, or I got something in my email that said to run an exe, I'd NEVER do it. And neither would most tech-savy people. But, people who pirate software are installing the software they're downloading. That's a malware-creator's dream come true. I'm sure mafia and identity-theft criminals love the idea (and they can create lots of seeders to create the illusion of being legit).
The "piracy has VIRUSES!" myth is very much a content industry creation.
Uh huh. And the ""piracy has viruses" is a myth" myth is advocated by people who want to believe piracy is totally safe.
I'm more concerned about malware in "genuine" software than pirated, and one more reason that I pirate things when I do.
Well, pirated software has the "malware" created by the genuine software manufacturers plus the malware added to it by anyone who wants to add a trojan.
"As much as /. likes to take shots at Microsoft, what would you do better? *nix security is just as vulnerable to social engineering as windows is, given the same users."
The same users wouldn't be running Linux; despite the popularity of Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS, , etc. IMHO most Linux users are a little more technically literate.
Except that Mac users, being more affluent do not buy rock-bottom priced computers and then fill them up with pirated software from shady torrent sites. Mac users who want a given program are MUCH more likely to actually PAY for their software. Therefore, this trojan isn't going to be as big a deal as some gloating posters here on /. have made it out to be. It's after all not self replicating, but has to be installed with definite user input. Anyone who spends a pile of money on a Mac and then pirates a $79 program is a big fool who deserves to be punished by having their computer hosed this way.
All theory is gray
Somehow, they got the exclamation mark upside down.
$ sudo -s
# rm -r
# rm
# rm
# rm -r
# killall -9 iWorkServices
Not that hard; just a binary setup to run as a service.
Mod parent informative.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
omg, seriously the funniest mac ad spoof i've ever SEEN, let alone read. Kudos, arrogant faggot!
Thank you, fellow Mac user!
The primary vectors are email and infected websites (often reputable ones that are compromised themselves, often due to sketchy)
A-ha! I knew that there was one mastermind behind all of this. Now we only have to catch sketchy!
What is Apple going to do in response to inevitable arrival of social-engineering malware as it gains marketshare?
What is Linux going to if/when it acheives enough marketshare among joe-sixpacks for social engineering to be profitable?
I don't know. But when IS this going to happen? We've had predictions of an impending Linux malware plague since 2000. We had the same dire warnings for MacOS in mid-2006. Nothing yet.
Let's not be too cocky though. There has been malware showing up for Macs. And even Linux has had at least one successful virus (that seems to owe a lot of it's continued existence as a quick-and-dirty rootkit). The kicker is that these incidents do not make up the massive wave that's been predicted over the past years.
And sure - the market share isn't there yet. But keep in mind that if something is particularly vulnerable, there is someone willing to exploit it. So while MacOS X and Linux make up very small numbers, if they were so ripe for the plucking someone would be more than glad to do it (although apparently botnet herders like to use compromised Linux hosts as controls).
That people willing to rip off software would be as unethical to install hijacking trojans to screw over other software pirates. I am just so shocked by this turn of events.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
I'm part of teh evil content industry. If one of my games wrecks your PC, you can sue me. You can track me down easily from my registered company name and bring court proceedings for damages.
Now try doing that to an anonymous cracker from eastern Europe.
The fact that I know I am legally responsible for the software I sell means I make damn sure there is nothing dodgy in it. This is the opposite incentive for pirates.
An example might be the cracked copy of Democracy 2. It crashes when you win the election apparently This isn't in the full version, and is likely a side effect of their crack. What else their crack does I would not like to speculate on, but I sure as hell don't think it's worth risking that they are trustworthy guys to save myself twenty bucks.
DRM-free indie games for the PC and Mac: Positech Games
I wouldn't bother pirating Democracy 2. I can buy it DRM-free for $20. I happen to own a copy in fact, though regrettably have yet to find time to play it.
93rd rule of Slashdot: No matter how obvious my sarcasm is, my comment will be taken seriously by someone.
I just wish someone would do this for the Linux world. I've tried nearly every ISO download under "Applications -> Unix" on The Pirate Bay, but everything seems to be *legal*.
Why then does OpenOffice.org tell us not to use version which are not from there very own server? Legal does not mean free of malware ad-ons.
The truth is: OpenSource makes is easier to attach malware to a download.
Note that I am all in favour of OpenSource - but one should not close his / her eyes from the downside.
Is it somehow uncommon for pirated software to contain a trojan?
-- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
What you describe is a Worm;
1) A Virus is a self replication pice of software.
2) A Worm wiggles it's way into your mashine.
3) A Trojan is hides inside some other software to get into your mashine.
Of course combinations are possible - There are quite a few Viruses which are also Worms.
iWork shouldn't need admin password to install.
It's just a user level app.
Should be drag and drop install for non admin users.
Making every application need an "installer" is not a mac like experience, and reduces security by making users think typing in admin passwords is normal when installing user apps.
>We all plan to buy Photoshop.
Right after we figure out how to get apt-get to accept our CC#..
FRA: STFU GTFO
Apple decides to release the software without 'protection' and announces the next day that there might be infected versions out on the internet.
From what I recall, installing a 'non-official' copy has always come with a risk of 'undocumented extras'.
iWonder who released the 'bugged' version of iWork...
"I was in love with a beautiful blonde once, dear. She drove me to drink. It's the one thing I am indebted to her for."
Some pirated software contains a trojan. Hardly worth mentioning.
I'm not agreeing. Trojans require that gullible users download them and install them (or a machine which was already compromised by a worm).
The truth is: OpenSource makes is easier to attach malware to a download.
Yes, you could make a "Vubuntu - Ubuntu with Virus edition". But then, how do you get people to download it ?
It's not as if the original was expensive anyway.
You can get easily a genuine Ubuntu from the original web site, for free and using whatever suites you the best : either HTTP/FTP download or P2P from Bittorrent.
Why the hell would an average user need to download his/her copy from some shady "aLl w4r3z r us !" website ?
Trojan on commercial software works because free-riders can't get the original genuine software and have to download it from "somewhere else". They are at the mercy of the people running the somewhere else.
OTOH, Linux- BSD- and other OSS users can get everything they need (minus binary drivers) from the original distributor which they can trust.
The only few point of entrances are :
1. a couple of USA-based small distributions. Thanks to the wonderful laws you have at you side of the big pond, simple everyday actions (like watching a GIF picture once upon a time or listening to an MP3 song more recently) are blocked. This makes the USA-based distribution unable to ship the necessary software out of the box.
At least, big players have nice not-based-in-the-USA special repositories, where the user can get genuine codecs needed (all Debian based distros have "non-US" repositories).
But probably there are smaller player who just don't (can't) give out the codecs themself, requiring users to go to various third party sources. Probably one could setup a bogus repository with "codecs-bundled-with-trojans".
2. binary commercial software, which user have to manually download and install. And anyway with that we're back into the proprietary situation of Mac OS X and Windows. Once again proof that you'd have to stick to OSS from official trusted source to avoid being trojaned to the bone.
As a small - and mostly harmless - example is Skype. Its network isn't open, you can't find an opensource software from your trusted distributor which can interconnect with the Skype network.
So, lots of users choose to download the software from Skype's website and to install it manually. There's no breach of security : the users willingly typed the password to install the software.
Yet, according to Skype's EULA, Skype reserves the right to wiretap you conversation if asked to collaborate by government officials. That falls under the category "spyware/malware/etc..." for some users. Linux was supposed to be a malware-free environment, but the users ended up with a spy on their computer - because they had to get a non-open software from a third party.
At least, with skype, the company is honest and clearly state this in the EULA.
But there could be much more shady things lurking in other binary-only softwares.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Well, if as few as 10% of the pirated software has viruses, then anyone who downloads and installs 10 software apps has roughly a 66% chance of getting something. It seems bizarre that malware creators wouldn't use pirated software to spread keyloggers and other nasty stuff. I mean - if I went to a website and got a popup to download and install an exe, or I got something in my email that said to run an exe, I'd NEVER do it. And neither would most tech-savy people. But, people who pirate software are installing the software they're downloading. That's a malware-creator's dream come true. I'm sure mafia and identity-theft criminals love the idea (and they can create lots of seeders to create the illusion of being legit).
The fact that people believe pirated software is malware free by definition and that all reports to the contrary are evil propaganda by the BSA & friends has always amazed me as well. If it is really true that only 10% of pirated software is infected or has been carefully modified for use as a malware carrier that is even stranger since using pirated software for that purpose seems like such an obvious thing to do. Embed your custom Trojan in a software installation package and people will install the malware for you without giving it a second thought. After that all you have to do is flood the P2P networks with your spiked software. You could even build a root-kit/malware package directly into a WIndows XP/Vista/7 installation bundle, voilà instant bot-net node. With a properly constructed root-kit your malware would be nigh invisible post install to any garden variety PC security suite anyway and if it was a design that hadn't been seen before it would take quite a while before somebody flagged it.
Only to idiots, are orders laws.
-- Henning von Tresckow
I'm part of teh evil content industry. If one of my games wrecks your PC, you can sue me. You can track me down easily from my registered company name and bring court proceedings for damages
I can certainly bring proceedings, but I will probably lose, seeing as the EULA I agreed to when I installed your game specifically indemnifies you from damages, and doesn't 'warrant merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose'.
No, I wouldn't agree with that.
But, and I think this is very important ... pirated software comes from sites, and is used by people who are more likely to be aware of this likelihood (that it has a trojan or whatever).
Thus, they are more likely to examine the contents with care, run it through an antivirus or two, instead of blindly double clicking to install it.
The bigger attack vector I feel it the ignorant casual users, who blindly open anything anyone sent them as an email attachment.
When you get a random executable via P2P, all bets are off. But for moderately high profile scene releases such as games and important applications, the chance of having a virus infection is essentially zero. There's a considerable infrastructure in place dealing with bad releases, mostly for other reasons, but an infected release would be picked off as well, and if anybody consistently pushed infected cracks out there, people would just stop accepting releases from that source. Never happens, though. Though, like I said, all bets are off when you're looking at public P2P, which doesn't have a similarly formalised verification process and is a much bigger and more worthwhile target.
Load in a VM and check it out there of course.
Wow, you're generous. You're assuming that the user actually knows what to be looking for in the first place.
I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. - Scott Adams
I believe "cliffski" was using Democracy 2 as an illustration example because he's its developer.
But yeah, no DRM is incentive to buy for me too. I gave my money to 2D Boy for World of Goo even though everyone I know was using it pirated. Worth every cent of it.
To get back on topic, iWork has no DRM either, and $79 is not expensive considering the functionality, so if someone gets shafted by malware because they used a pirated copy, I have no sympathy for them. If you want a $0 office suite on a Mac, there's always NeoOffice.
Sig erased via substitution of an identical one.
the groups who actually bring you the releases (fairlight, razor1911, etc.) take what they do very seriously, and besides the occasional false positive (ahem, AVG), wouldn't dream of including malware in the releases; they have rules of engagement that they follow very closely and would be ridiculed in IRC and publicly lambasted in NFOs for years.
eDonkey and LimeWire downloading is the equivalent of walking into a dark alley in the Bronx with a sign asking "Any crack for sale?"
body massage!
No one can -ever- claim that -any- computer is safe from, essentially, social engineering.
Again right. But what's the solution? That is the real question.
Easy. Ban society, make social interaction illegal.
... and then they built the supercollider.
Apple does deserve criticism because they encourage their users to NOT install Anti-Virus software.
When did Apple do that?
... and then they built the supercollider.
t seems bizarre that malware creators wouldn't use pirated software to spread keyloggers and other nasty stuff
I think it would be interesting to see a torrent planted piece of malware that installs a system service... and runs a torrent seed of itself.
Boot Windows, Linux, and ESX over the network for free.
I wish every pirate software on earth came with built-in viruses so people are forced to use FOS software. (maybe I can create a team to work on that(but only for windows(i hate windows users!)))
4 - A robot may not masturbate, except where such action would conflict with the Second Law.
I gave my money to 2D Boy for World of Goo even though everyone I know was using it pirated.
I almost turned around and pirated the game because I was so pissed off at the fact that their direct sale on their website was $5 more than the console version. The NFO I read before downloading the release however, warned that anyone would be a bit of an asshole for pirating a DRM-free, cheap game from an indie developer, I went back to 2D boy's site.
:P
I'm actually very happy with the purchase, because I am able to take the installer and run it on all the machines I use without having to worry about activations and so on.
Also, if DRM-Free and awesome are your criteria for purchasing games, I suggest you look into Crayon Physics Deluxe. This trend of DRM-Free gaming is actually leading to me spending more money on games
Boot Windows, Linux, and ESX over the network for free.
Correct? Or am I dreaming?
RS
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
Im running windows...
Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
Someone beat me to it. Seriously, it's not as if iWork is that expensive, and there are free alternatives. Why steal it?
Make love, not reality television.
"Pirated copies of Apple's new iWork '09 suite that are now available on file-sharing sites"
.. :)
I wonder who put it up there as now I'll have to go out and buy an AV suite
davecb5620@gmail.com
Also, if DRM-Free and awesome are your criteria for purchasing games, I suggest you look into Crayon Physics Deluxe.
Thanks for the suggestion; it's on my radar already; I saw the videos on their website and it looks *awesome* :-) Looks like a perfect thing for me, as well as for my son and daughter (who also enjoy WoGoo). It looks like it's most enjoyable with a graphics tablet though, so that might become an additional cost.
This trend of DRM-Free gaming is actually leading to me spending more money on games :P
Ditto :-)
Sig erased via substitution of an identical one.
IDK about torrents, but I believe there are Limewire viruses that do that via the Gnutella network.
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
But then, how do you get people to download it ?
Easy, you reserve www.oenoffice.org, www.opnoffice.org, www.opeoffice.org www.openffice.org and www.openofice.org and offer the applications for download there.
Remember, I am in vafour of OpenSource - but I do not close my eyes in front of potential danger.
Why the hell would an average user need to download his/her copy from some shady "aLl w4r3z r us !" website ?
No reason at all, but he might download from www.ubntu.org.
Martin
But then how will I describe it when more than one virus infects my boxen?
This requires user action and piracy.
So does 99.99% of windows malware.
Actually, most malware infections by number are automated worms that require no user interaction. There are a lot more malware packages that are trojans or viruses than there are worms, but they compromise fewer machines. (The ratio is not even close to 99.99% though).
No one can -ever- claim that -any- computer is safe from, essentially, social engineering.
Again right. But what's the solution? That is the real question.
You can't make social engineering impossible unless the user is not the admin of that function. You can, however, make social engineering a lot harder by giving the user a whole lot more information about what is going on and getting rid of all the useless measures. For example, when a user installs a package you can standardize that installation by always using the OS's package manager (but said manager needs to be capable and attractive for developers so this is doable). You can check the digital signature of the package against your database of not only malware but known good software. You need to get developers to buy into this to, by making it attractive to them and useful. You can sandbox software and restrict it's permissions by default and if necessary give it access to fake data and network in order to make it run. You can create a UI that lets the user know exactly what the program is trying to do and what level of risk experts think that entails and give them the option to run the software without giving it access to those resources. The thing is, you have to do it well so they get realistic risk assessments and learn to trust those assessments. If 25% of developers refuse to participate and users learn most of the software the system lists as potential malware is not malware, this fails.
What is Apple going to do in response to inevitable arrival of social-engineering malware as it gains marketshare?
The last release of OS X brought with it an ACL framework to sandbox applications and restrict their access more granularly. It included a signing framework to check the authenticity of packages. I'd argue they still need the package manager, whitelist/blacklist service, and UI components. They are definitely moving towards at least some of what I mention.
What is Linux going to if/when it acheives enough marketshare among joe-sixpacks for social engineering to be profitable?
They're working on the same tech, and it is in use in high risk environments, usually the SE Linux version.
As much as /. likes to take shots at Microsoft, what would you do better? *nix security is just as vulnerable to social engineering as windows is, given the same users.
There are two main reasons MS takes a lot of heat from experts here. First, both Apple and Linux are subject to market pressures. If their users have a security problem, they have to respond because Apple loses money or Linux users migrate to other distros. Both are subject to what works for users, so as trojans become a realistic threat they respond. The fact that they have not done a whole lot so far, mostly reflects that it is not a real problem for most of their users.
Microsoft, however, is a monopoly and is not subject to market forces. In general, if they do not respond to security threats with the appropriate level of defenses, they don't lose money. As a result, MS has been very, very slow to do anything about this problem and has not responded.
The second reason MS takes lot of heat is because their overwhelming dominance of the market gives them a lot of power. If one company could steamroll all developers into changing their practices and writing their software such that it installs via a safe and secure mechanism, runs smoothly in a secure sandbox, comes with an appropriate A
Ok, sorry, Apple didn't ever tell people NOT to install antivirus software. However, they do tell people it isn't necessary, which is just as dangerous.
And I quote: "'The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box,' the spokesman told the BBC."
http://www.rte.ie/business/2008/1205/apple.html
http://www.itpro.co.uk/608967/week-in-review-apple-confuses-on-security
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/practicalmac/2008475243_ptmacc06.html?syndication=rss
Eggs
Milk
Bread
Cat Litter
Soda
that doesn't mean i'm immune from prosecution for willful damage to your machine or data.
That EULA wouldn't defend me if the game formatted your hard disk or installed a keylogger. Nor should it.
Are you suggesting you are NOT on safer legal ground when you buy legal software?
DRM-free indie games for the PC and Mac: Positech Games
Somehow I doubt that Windows worms and exploits only make up .001% of all Windows malware.
Of course I have no evidence, and I agree that many of the most spectacularly successful viruses didn't require user interaction. And of course its the primary way us tech savvy folk get infected... but in dealing with the public they fall over themselves to self infect. A popup on a website says they are infected, download Antivirus 2009...click...and we're off to the races. Pictures of Britney in an email... click. I see infections through that on a continual basis. The big worms while spectacular, really aren't all that common.
I misspoke when I said most viruses require user interaction and piracy. They don't require piracy, just user interaction.
1. Trojan != Virus
2. Social engineering is the best way to hack/infect a system
3. Downloading software illegally may cause you problems.
Not exactly newsworthy, but I appreciate the info should I decide to nab iWork myself. I suppose the buzz is because this is happening to OS X and Mac users.
I will shred my adversaries. Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces. Illyria
It would be nice if the summary also gave a link or hint on a fix....
Well, if as few as 10% of the pirated software has viruses, then anyone who downloads and installs 10 software apps has roughly a 66% chance of getting something.
All other things being equal, which they aren't. And just like that little something between your brains can help distinguish a valid attachement with an infected one on an email, so can you for most infected, "pirated" software.
Uh huh. And the ""piracy has viruses" is a myth" myth is advocated by people who want to believe piracy is totally safe.
Strawman. Who here has claimed that "piracy" is "totally safe"? in fact most posts of this story have said what anyone with even a moderate knowledge about computing would say: *nothing* is completely safe.
Well, pirated software has the "malware" created by the genuine software manufacturers plus the malware added to it by anyone who wants to add a trojan.
Actually, a very popular reason to use "pirated" software is the fact that cracking groups usually remove the manufacturer-provided malware. So that only leaves the ones added post-cracking, which as I said it's not hard to do (or at least, not significantly harder than avoiding infected email attachements).
No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
Which keys do I delete with regedit?
Even when said gift horse is actually a trojan horse? :)
DNA -- National Dyslexic Association
I work in systems administration and tech support. I try and use free tools whenever possible. Due to stupid licensing schemes and propriety interoperability problems, this is not always possible. How is it not good for my industry (tech support and systems administration) to not use whatever tool I think will work the best? Why is it the right of the tool creator to tell me what I can and cannot do with his tools? The purpose of my industry is solving problems using tools.
So if I give credit and say for instance, that norton ghost is a great product! that will do in your mind? "the moral law of paying *your* due" is a cute way of rationalizing your copyrigth infringment of music. The only people who think that programs and music differ, when it comes to copyright infringement, are software developers.
This hypocrisy of devs always gives me a good laugh.
I should also note, that if it were possible, through the use of nanoforges or other atomic compilers, to create cars, food, computers, etc without paying anyone a cent, I would have no problems doing that either. That is the future. None of this artificial scarcity crap.
As a potential lottery winner, I totally support tax cuts for the wealthy
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/30265/iworkservices-trojan-removal-tool
This is the easiest way to prevent any app/process from piggy-backing onto a legit process that has queried the system as to whether we have an Internet connection:
open the sudoers file, located here: /etc/sudoers
add the following:
Defaults:ALL timestamp_timeout=0
Save. Done.
OS X comes with a default 5 minute "window" on the use of an admin to get privilage escalation. When that window is shrunk to zero, that means that the escalation is disabled instantly. All processes are serial, so two processes cannot occur at the same moment in time. Period.
Running as a non-admin user is okay, but the timestamp is what really has to go.
Why don't these people download the real copy from Apple?
Ariel GreenLeaf Imaging