surely everyone these days only uses either VLC to watch video or installs Perian to get all the codecs in one go, no?

if you listen very carefully, you can hear Webster desperately trying to think of something smug to type

Queue a bunch of Mac bashers shouting "see, Macs get viruses too".

Incidentally, I don't see how this malware app can be automatically launched after the .dmg is mounted since Apple added the warning prompt when opening a new application back in 2004, if I'm not mistaken.

BTW there's a good video codec here:

http://dodgy.site.net/codec/rm_minus_rf_slash.sh

"Previous examples of malware able infect Mac systems have included an Apple-variant of a scareware (fake anti-spyware) package and a Trojan, DNsChan-A, that detected whether it was attempting to infect either Windows or Mac systems before running the appropriate infection routine."

That's not quite correct; to my knowledge, no single binary file exists which detects the host platform and then 'runs the appropriate infection routine.' Instead, what happens is that the Web site hosting the malware detects the platform (by looking at the browser's user agent), then downloads either a Windows executable or a Mac/Linux shell script.

The article also does not make clear that this malware and 'the earlier RSPlug Mac Trojan' are one and the same; the malware is variously called OSX.DNSchanger.A, OSX.RSplug.A, OSX.RSplugin.A, or OSX/Zlob. It's different in structure but identical in function to the Windows Zlob malware, and almost certainly originates from the same group. The OS X version is actually a generic *nix shell script that creates a root crontab on any *nix variant, which runs every two minutes and changes the system's name servers to hostile name servers in Eastern Europe; as you may imagine, it requires that the user type in an administrator password on OS X or a root password on Linux/Unix in order to do its work.

Trend Micro seems to be playing it up as a major threat. I guess the dearth of any real threats (so far) to the Mac platform has made them rather desperate to find anyone willing to purchase their (so far) rather useless software?

@david kelly: LOL. Although shouldn't that be: sudo_rm_minus_rf_slash.sh?

I'm really suprises there aren't more trojans relying on blind ignorance, i think they'd be a massive success...

;)

Would you like a Trojan with that, sir?

Clearly you haven't read this site long.

grumble flick = porn

then found Mac users had fuck all ready cash as they'd already been taken to the cleaners.

A grumble flick is a form of video based entertainment that allows men to pleasure themselves without excessive use of their imagination. A blue movie or skin film in other words. Rather than relying on the Urban Dictionary, I suggest you pick up a copy of Rogers' Profanisaurus (Amazon probably stock it).

I seem to have lost the ability to understand English.

I hate it when that happens.

"Sure, so why did you say in your first message: "now that Macs are really Intel PCs, ... we'll see more and more [Mac malware].""

Because the article and my post are clearly and specifically about *new* malware. It's obvious that Safari is immune to MSWord macro viri, but it doesn't make it secure.

"No, the article specifically says it's harder to write OS X malware than Windows malware because of the UNIX underpinnings,, and the same applies to Linux."

The article you linked to ALSO says that. Which is a load of bullcrap anyway. Being initially, a long time ago, based on a BSD kernel doesn't make it more or less secure. All Linux distros are based on the same kernel, but some are tougher than others. Same for BSD distros. And re-read it, you will find a lot of the "Macs are more secure because there are no malware targetting them in the wild" flawed circular logic.

"Explain how OS X is gone "downhill" security wise? Leopard is more secure than Tiger !"

I do not know about specific felines, but I can assure you that all the OSX machines I've seen are in the single-user-with-full-admin-rights configuration. With auto-mount and auto execute for external media on. Good default settings, ain't it?

Your semantics is good, but there is an even better reason to say "Mac PC": Macs are now Intel-based PCs. Same as Dells, but with a different logo on the box. The Mac vs PC distinction is made for/by clueless people who really mean MacOS vs Windows but couldn't tell the difference between hardware and software to save their lives. Reminds me of this old lady from Morocco who despised Africans (it meant "black people" for her).