New OS X malware variant attacks unpatched Macs

By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes | February 27, 2012, 4:13am PST
Summary: A new malware variant sets out to punish those who haven't been keeping up to date with updates.
Patching OS X is so simple, but yet there are people who still put it off. A new malware variant sets out to punish those who haven't been keeping up to date with updates.
The new variant is a Trojan horse called ”Flashback.G' and is makes use of two exploits found on older versions of the Java runtime. Users with macs runningOS X 10.6 ”Snow Leopard' are particularly at risk since this version came with Java preinstalled while 10.7 ”Lion' did not.
According to security firm Intego, this malware uses three tricks to try to get itself installed onto a system:
This new variant of the Flashback Trojan horse uses three methods to infect Macs. The malware first tries to install itself using one of two Java vulnerabilities. If this is successful, users will be infected with no intervention. If these vulnerabilities are not available ”“ if the Macs have Java up to date ”“ then it attempts a third method of installation, trying to fool users through a social engineering trick. The applet displays a self-signed certificate, claiming to be issued by Apple. Most users won't understand what this means, and click on Continue to allow the installation to continue.

This Trojan looks for specific websites (such as Google, Yahoo!, CNN, bank websites, PayPal, and so on) and tries to grab the user names and passwords used to log onto the sites.
If you are running OS X 10.6 then it is vitally important that you check to see that you have the latest Java update installed by runningSoftware Update from the Apple menu.
DO IT NOW!!!

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The flooding condition in Thailand have put a huge crimp on the availability of hard drives. More than 50% of the world's supply of drives comes from Thailand and the recent floods have put some factories totally underwater. In addition the supplier of nearly 100% of drive motors has lost multiple facilities.

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If you have a computer here for a hard drive issue please be patient as it may take longer that our normal, 2-3 business day, turnaround time.

MagSafe Adapter Reimbursement

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If your adapter shows signs of strain relief damage, bring it in so we can determine whether Apple will replace the adapter as per their guidelines.
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Lion, OS 10.7

Apple's next operating system, Lion, OS 10.7, is now available! While this is great news and will be a very nice product with many cool features, you may not be ready for it. All new computers will be shipped pre-loaded with Lion and Apple has already stopped producing Snow Leopard. This means that you will not be able to get a computer or disk with Snow Leopard. Why does this matter? First there are known concerns. Rosetta will not be supported. That means that anyone who uses Office 2008 or earlier, Quicken or any other application that relies on Rosetta 'translation' will not work with Lion.
Second, there are unknown concerns: Which drivers for printers and other devices are not yet ready? What other applications are not supported? What compatibility quirks will there be initially?

We've been playing with Lion and exploring what we can, until the final release in real working environments is tested, there are many questions that remain. It usually takes several updates and 3-6 months to feel comfortable moving to a complete OS overhaul. There is a free download of Lion for new machines purchased with Snow Leopard, so you can get it for free and simply upgrade later, when you are ready instead of when Apple is ready.

Please call us or email if you have questions.