Zeke Weeks

Zeke Weeks

Web Developer & Consultant


  • Blazing Wheel (My company)
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  • ContactMy preferred methods of interaction with the general public are through my Twitter or Google+ accounts. I love talking with folks in the tech community, brainstorming, debating, the works, and that’s where the conversation is richest. My instant messaging (Google Talk/AIM/MSN/Skype) and email addresses are made available on a need-to-know basis, and may be requested through the above public channels. At home, I’m in the Mountain Time Zone, and observe Daylight Savings Time. (Click here to see the local time.) If you need to reach me privately, you can do so through this form, which goes directly to my personal email account. Please respectfully consider that this form often contacts me while I’m with loved ones or getting some R & R; I cannot guarantee a response to every message.


Macs get viruses. And the trojans are getting more deceptive.

For years, virus makers have been tricking people into installing trojans under the disguise of a program intended to actually remove trojans that weren’t there. They usually did so by disguising themselves as part of Windows XP – which was an obvious fake for anyone using any other operating system.

But today my boss ran into this and asked me to take a look:

Imitation OS X UI attempting trojan installation
(click image for full-size version)

Look at that imitation of the OS X Finder. Not perfect, but it’s pretty dang good! I wouldn’t expect everyone to be able to tell that it’s fake.

News of legitimate Mac trojans recently cropped up again, but it looks like they’ve gotten even more sophisticated with some pretty convincing fake Finder interfaces. People used to assume that Macs aren’t targeted for viruses for their lower market share, but it looks like that’s an even more unsafe assumption now. If you use a Mac, you aren’t exempt from being safe with your computer: don’t give it your Administrator password when you aren’t trying to install or update software. Any other time, it’s a trap!

May 13, 2011
Apple, Mac viruses, trojans
Technophilia

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