RE: mac trojan in-the-wild

["Alex Eckelberry" <AlexE () sunbelt-software com>]

What he said. 

Alex
 

-----Original Message-----
From: funsec-bounces () linuxbox org [mailto:funsec-bounces () linuxbox org]
On Behalf Of Drsolly
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 2:23 PM
To: Dr. Neal Krawetz
Cc: funsec () linuxbox org
Subject: Re: [funsec] mac trojan in-the-wild

On Thu, 1 Nov 2007, Dr. Neal Krawetz wrote:

> I've been reading this thread and I don't understand why there is this

> assumption that Mac users are lax or stoopid...
>
> I have a Mac.  I also use Linux, BSD, Windows, and many other OS's.
>
> Yes: there are very few malware instances for the Mac.
> Yes: there is virtually no AV for the Mac.
>
> However, I don't know any Mac users who are not also Windows users.
> And ever Mac user I know (in and out of the security field) are much 
> more cautious about their systems.  They regularly update and they 
> don't run software that they don't know.  They have learned these 
> lessons from watching (and being) Windows users.
>
> Based on the screen shots of this trojan, you must accept the
download.
> One screen shot even requires you to enter your admin password.
> While Windows users (particularly Vista) would do this without a 
> second thought, I suspect that Mac users will be more cautious and few

> people will fall for it.
>
> Mac viruses won't become wide-spread until they can auto-install and 
> run without human assistance (like Windows malware).
>
> Am I missing something here?  (Beyond the Apple bashing?)

I think you're missing the fact that there aren't two distinct
subspecies of human (Appleuseriens and Winuseriens), there's only one,
and that one species displays the usual range of non-cluefulness (which
isn't actually the same as stupidity, by the way). And whether you run a
Mac, or Winx, you've probably become accustomed to your computer telling
you "I need to get xxx to run this, OK?" and giving it authority to do
that.

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