Malware linked to free Mac applications
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06/03/2010
Consumers downloading free screen saver programs may be getting more than just a colorful background.
Intego, a company specializing in security software for Apple computers, has issued a high-risk warning that a malicious spyware application called OSX/OpinionSpy has been linked to popularly downloaded screen savers. The spyware has the ability to scan and record a user's personal files and activities, then send the data to remote servers.
Common downloading sites such as MacUpdate and Softpedia have distributed the affected Mac applications. Although, the actual software does not contain the spyware, the malware downloads simultaneously with the application without the user knowing. Once installed the spyware can be very difficult to remove, according to Intego.
The OSX/OpinionSpy program runs under the pretense that it collects browsing data to create marketing reports, however Intego has found that the program also monitors and collects passwords, usernames and credit card numbers.
While many users believe that Mac-based computers are safer than Windows-based PCs, it is not so much the operating system as the user, according to Sulfikar Ramzan, a technical director of Symantec Security response, as reported by Network World. The story reports that only 3 percent of malware encountered by Symantec exploits an OS vulnerability.
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