Kaspersky Antivirus, through Fabio Assolini, identified two rogueware applications that are specifically designed to attack the well-known secured system, Mac OSX. They are named ‘Best Mac Antivirus’ and ‘Mac Defender’. This threat happened at the height of the rogueware security crisis in Windows, just immediately after Osama Bin Laden’s death.
Intego security firm also warned about how treacherously convincing the Mac Defender is. They stated that, “This application is very well designed, and looks professional. There are a number of different screens, and the grammar and spelling are correct, the buttons are attractive, and the overall look and feel of the program give it a professional look. It will occasionally display alerts, telling users that viruses are found.”
Assolini explained that such attacks against Mac users is are done using the blackhat SEO techniques, that maliciously manipulate popular search engine results. In Kaspersky Lab’s official blogsite, he illustrated how the application:
1. Checks for browser, IP and referrer details;
2. Shows a fake scan screen; and
3. Offers installation.
Intego security firm explained that, “The scam here is to charge users for a program that doesn’t do anything; the virus warnings presented are bogus, and after paying, they no longer display, so users think the program has done something useful. It is also possible that these credit card numbers, given via an unsecure web page, could be used for other purposes.”
For internet security measures, experts suggest the following:
1. Users should refrain from getting applications thru unexpected installation screens that appear on the internet;
2. In Safari, users should uncheck the “Open ‘Safe’ files after downloading” option;
3. Always click No or Cancel button whenever the browser offers to run an installer which you did not expect to download.
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