Mac Attack: iBotnet Goes After Macs

Macs are supposed to be nearly immune to attacks, right?  That's one of their big draws.  Everyone knows that most malicious code is written for Windows-based machines.  The key word there is 'most'.

Word is getting out about what two Symantec employees are dubbing the first malware written to specifically target Macs.

The malware is a Trojan horse called "iBotnet" and it has so far infected only a few thousand Mac units.  Still, this is a big step in the evolution of malware in that this program only targets the Mac.

The malicious program was discovered in January but it didn't get noticed much until now, when Mario Ballano Barcena and Alfredo Pesoli of Symantec wrote about the malware in "Virus Bulletin."

Experts indicate that most Mac users need not worry too much about the attack.  The program only goes after machines whose users have obtained pirated versions of the Mac software iWork.

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Technorati Tags: iBotnet, iWork, Mac, Malware, Security, Symantec, Virus Bulletin

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