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New Malware Uses Rare Cross-Platform Method, Targets Windows, Linux & OS X
It would seem another malware threat has been discovered, and this time it is targeting everyone. That means Windows, Linux, and OS X users are at risk, some more than others. Security firms Sophos and F-Secure discovered the malware and its nasty habit of disguising itself as a needed add-on, however it's actually a Java archive file that detects the platform a user is on and than connects to a remote server. Once it connects it will then fetch additional code in order to create a back door hackers can utilize for their purposes. As it stands, the Mac versions has already been identified by F-Secure as "Backdoor:OSX/GetShell.A". It is extremely rare for malware to target multiple platforms simultaneously, but not unheard of. It just makes more sense for hackers to concentrate on the two platforms with the greatest chance for gain: Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X. Still, this rare cross-platform attack method, while now detected, could be a sign of a change in approach from hackers as they seek to attack the largest majority of people they possibly can.
Fully updated Macs should be immune to the attack, since the OS X code is actually a PowerPC binary. OS X Lion doesn't support Rosetta, the software needed for backwards compatibility with PowerPC applications. Even with OS X Snow Leopard, Rosetta is only an optional upgrade.
Posted by | Mon, Jul 16, 2012 - 02:02 PM
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