Multiplatform Java Botnet Spotted In the Wild

It's fun sometimes to be smug because you are ("one is") using an operating system less susceptible to malware, or at least less targeted by malware creators, than is Microsoft Windows. Now, reader Orome1 writes with word of a Java-based, equal-opportunity botnet Trojan, excerpting from Help Net Security's report: "'IncognitoRAT is one example of a Java-based Trojan discovered in the wild that is being downloaded and installed by another component. This malware behaves like other Windows botnets but uses source code and libraries that can operate on other platforms,' explains McAfee's Carlos Castillo." So far, no mention of a Linux version, though.

Comments

Linux is safe, because...

[cinemabaroque]

Because it has a small market share. Nobody wants to write a program that will work on unix based systems because it just isn't practical. The main reason for this is that Linux systems vary wildly in terms of operation and security. Windows does not have this "problem" (and lack of standardization is what has kept Linux out of the mainstream) and, to a degree, neither do Macs. Who would want to write a botnet for linux systems? Now, if our dreams become a reality, and Linux becomes the de facto standard then we will have problems too, this is a perfect example of security though obscurity. The opportunity costs outweigh the benefits, as long as this is true then Linux users have little to fear.