[pchelpers] News:Macs Are Virus Targets, Some Experts Warn

By DAN GOODIN
The Associated Press
Sunday, April 30, 2006; 3:14 PM

SAN FRANCISCO -- Benjamin Daines was browsing the Web when he clicked on 
a series of links that promised pictures of an unreleased update to his 
computer's operating system.

Instead, a window opened on the screen and strange commands ran as if 
the machine was under the control of someone _ or something _ else.

Daines was the victim of a computer virus.

Such headaches are hardly unusual on PCs running Microsoft Corp.'s 
Windows operating system. Daines, however, was using a Mac _ an Apple 
Computer Inc. machine often touted as being immune to such risks.

He and at least one other person who clicked on the links were infected 
by what security experts call the first-ever virus for Mac OS X, the 
operating system that has shipped with every Mac sold since 2001 and has 
survived virtually unscathed from the onslaught of malware unleashed on 
the Internet in recent years.

"It just shows people that no matter what kind of computer you use you 
are still open to some level of attack," said Daines, a 29-year-old 
British chemical engineer who once considered Macs invulnerable to such 
attacks.

Apple's iconic status, growing market share and adoption of same 
microprocessors used in machines running Windows are making Macs a 
bigger target, some experts warn.

Apple's most recent wake-up call came last week, as a Southern 
California researcher reported seven new vulnerabilities. Tom Ferris 
said malicious Web sites can exploit the holes without a user's 
knowledge, potentially allowing a criminal to execute code remotely and 
gain access to passwords and other sensitive information.

Ferris said he warned Apple of the vulnerabilities in January and 
February and that the company has yet to patch the holes, prompting him 
to compare the Cupertino-based computer maker to Microsoft three years 
ago, when the world's largest software company was criticized for being 
slow to respond to weaknesses in its products.

"They didn't know how to deal with security, and I think Apple is in the 
same situation now," said Ferris, himself a Mac user.

More here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/30/AR2006043000429.html
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