Mac virus: What you need to know, how to remove it

Apple

(CBS News) Apple Macintosh users have become vulnerable to the Flashback Trojan malware. An estimated 600,000 Mac users have been infected. We've rounded up some of the best ways to check for the Trojan horse and get rid of it. 

What is the Flashback Trojan?

First thing to note is that Flashback is not a technically a virus, it's a Trojan horse. Both are malicious software, but the main difference is that a Trojan horse cannot infect other computers. Trojan horses typically seem like helpful software, but once installed they make your computer vulnerable to data theft or keystroke logging, among other things.

The Flashback Trojan, also called BackDoor.Flashback.39, was initially discovered as a fake Adobe Flash Player plug-in installer in September 2011.

Full coverage of Apple at Tech Talk
CNET: Mac Flashback malware (FAQ)
CNET: How to remove the Flashback malware from OS X

How to check your Mac for the Flashback Trojan

Dr. Web, who originally reported the number of Mac users infected with the virus, has an online tool to check if you have BackDoor.Flashback.39. There's also a program called FlashbackChecker available at GitHub. If you use the anti-virus program VirusBarrier, it should be able to check and remove the Trojan horse.

How to get rid of the Flashback Trojan

There are a few different ways to get rid of the Flashback Trojan. CNET has a step-by-step guide  to remove the malicious software. There's also a removal guide posted by the Finnish security company F-Secure.

CNET has full coverage of the Flashback Trojan virus.

[imaginarynumber]

I believe that many of the infected machines are those running earlier versions of OSx, eg Leopard 10.5.8 which at 2 and a half years old is no longer supported and thus does not receive updates.

[Elron_Aven]

Apple abandons product that's only 2.5yo? No wonder they have such problems making significant corporate market penetration.

[NunezJorge]

Wait just one minute! Isn't Adobe one of the companies that Apple has issues with? I think so. Because it is very difficult for me to use it on my IMac. That is so funny.... :~)

[imaginarynumber]

Yeah, I know Steve jobs didn't like Flash and that many Apple owners don't like it for that reason but this is a JAVA hack and nothing to do with Flash.

Don't malign Adobe just because someone used the name of one of their products.

[KnowerseekerReturns]

Macs are still safer. By the way, I'm not a Mac, but a Linux (specifically Mint, formerly Ubuntu), though Macs are Linux now too since MacOS X.

[cookieknits]

Although I am not proficient in Linux, I find what I do know of it to be so intuitive as to make anything Microsoft produces to be impossible to use. I am thinking of learning more, so I can really use this language to its fullest and be as computer literate as I was back in the olden days. I am a 56 year old woman. Come on in, girls, the water is fine!

[foodandart]

I checked ALL the browsers I have that run java and nothing. If you have an Apple, ALWAYS take the software updates - esp. the Mac OS and Java ones when they come in.

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the browsers is also a good idea.

For system updates and downloads from Apple, I stick to Safari as it has the proper file handling keys.

For those times I trawl the darker 'adult' corners of the internet, I use Firefox with NoScrips and AdBlock Plus add-ons for the robust security.

For general roaming and doing the social butterfly thing and reading news and adding comments, my main browser is Camino. Flash doesn't work too well with it, but that's actually a good thing as the last Adobe Flash update went too far into the OS X core services and it was unstable running in Safari. Camino does NOT have low-level core-services access and issues like java and/or java scripts (NOT the same, BTW) just seem to not be as problematic.

Still, as always, if an application you download or website you're on asks for the system password, and you're not 100% dead-certain of the validity of the site.. don't give it!

Regards,

[cookieknits]

Thanks for the info. I hadn't heard of Camino. Will look into it.
I am temporarily using a p.c. and hating every minute of it.
I don't think Macs are better computers. I have come to the conclusion that Mac peoples' brains process information differently from p.c. peoples' brains. (And we Macs have a higher tendency towards sarcasm and auperiority complexes.)

[wbramh]

For the 28 years I've employed scores of Macs for business and home I've never had a single virus or Trojan Horse in any device.

[democracy8]

Neither have I.

[blue5ft3]

Neither have we in the 6 Macs that we use.

[Oh-Pin-Yun]

Most PC-viruses are written by Geek-Mac users who intend to harm PC equipment. It looks like someone has finally written a Mac-virus that actually works.

[erniecolorado1]

ALL computers are prone to get viruses because they are connected to the same world wide web internet. I use Microsoft Windows 7, and soon to be 8. I have not used Apple product at all since Windows was first released. I use the Zune Marketplace/Windows Live, Windows 7.5 cell phone with Mango and Xbox 360. I do NOT get ANY viruses or malware and have not in many years. I use Emsisoft Anti-Malware and Online Armour Premium Firewall and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. That with keeping all hardware, software and Windows updates current, will keep you rock solid. And keeping your hardware current is great to!:)

[pon115]

And you work for MS ?

[Transatlantique]

Are recipes for booger salad included with that?