Cybercriminals create botnet using Mac computers (CBC)

[Drew Wilson]

A piece of malicious software unwittingly shared over a peer-to-peer network in January was the key tool in what security researchers are saying was the first known attempt to create a botnet of Mac computers.

Researchers at Symantec say the Trojan, called OSX.Iservice, hid itself in pirated versions of the Apple application iWork '09 and the Mac version of Adobe Photoshop CS4 that were shared on a popular peer-to-peer bittorrent network.

Once downloaded, the applications themselves worked normally, but the Trojan opens a "back door" on the compromised computer that allows it to begin contacting other hosts in its peer-to-peer network for commands.

Researchers Mario Barcena and Alfredo Pesoli of Symantec Ireland, writing in the April 2009 issue of the Virus Bulletin, say the network of infected computers attempted to initiate a denial of service attack on a website in January.

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Don't worry, just think that Mac's cannot be infected by viruses and it'll all go away. :tongue1:

[1cooldude]

With all things connected to Mac and its technology having an esoteric nomenclature will they allow names like virus,trojan and botnet permeate the circles of these purists?:06:

[Signa]

*Points and laughs* HA HA!

[fred_anon2000]

You have no idea how many mac users that have shoved the "we can't be infected" crap down my Windows using throat.

[thepuzzler]

I'll say it again:

ANYONE THAT GIVES ROOT ACCESS TO A CRACK OR MAC-NATIVE-KEYGEN DESERVES WHAT THEY GET!!

Macs ARE inherently more secure, despite what the haters think. (I use both for the record.)

[drtoker]

I'll say it again:

ANYONE THAT GIVES ROOT ACCESS TO A CRACK OR MAC-NATIVE-KEYGEN DESERVES WHAT THEY GET!!

Macs ARE inherently more secure, despite what the haters think. (I use both for the record.)

I'm no mac expert, but the install itself probably has to be ran under elevated privilages (not the keygen), so if the installer was infected...