[real-eyes] One in Every Five Mac Computers Harbors Malware, Sophos Research Reveals

From: blindbites <blindbites@xxxxxxxxx>
To: nutkc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:47:21 -0500
24 Apr 2012
One in Every Five Mac Computers Harbors Malware, Sophos Research Reveals
Image
New research released by
Sophos
has revealed a disturbingly high level of
malware
on Mac computers—with both Windows and Mac threats being discovered.
Sophos experts analyzed a snapshot of 100,000 Mac computers running its 
free anti-virus
software, and discovered that one in five machines was found to be 
carrying one or
more instances of Windows malware.
Although Windows malware on Macs will not cause symptoms (unless users 
also run Windows
on their computer), it can still be spread to other computers.
Additionally, Sophos's analysis shows that 2.7 percent (one in thirty 
six) of Macs
were found to be carrying Mac OS X malware.
"Some Mac users may be relieved that they are seven times more likely to 
have Windows
viruses, spyware and Trojans on their Macs than Mac OS X-specific 
malware, but Mac
malware is surprisingly commonly encountered," said Graham Cluley, 
senior technology
consultant at Sophos. "Mac users need a wake-up call about the growing 
malware problem.”
The recent Flashback botnet, which inflicted more than 600,000 users, 
and fake anti-virus
attacks, which scare users into handing over their credit card details, 
dominate
the chart of Mac-based threats.
Top Mac OS X malware found on Mac computers (7-day snapshot of 100,000 
Macs):
1. OSX/Flshplyr 75.1%
2. OSX/FakeAV 17.8%
3. OSX/RSPlug 5.5%
4. OSX/Jahlav 1.2%
5. Other 0.4%
"Mac malware can spread via USB stick, email attachments, website 
download, or even
a silent drive-by installation where the user doesn't realize their 
Mac's security
has been subverted," continued Cluley. "Cybercriminals view Macs as a 
soft target,
because their owners don’t typically run anti-virus software and are 
thought to have
a higher level of disposable income than the typical Windows user. Mac 
users must
protect their computers now or risk making the malware problem on Macs 
as big as
the problem on PCs."
One in five Macs users who downloaded and scanned their system found 
Windows malware
on Mac computers:
Top Windows malware found on Mac computers (7-day snapshot of 100,000 Macs):
1. Mal/Bredo 12.2%
2. Mal/Phish 7.4%
3. Mal/FakeAV 3.8%
4. Troj/ObfJS 3.6%
5. Mal/ASFDldr 3.3%
6. Troj/Invo 3.0%
7. Troj/Wimad 2.6%
8. Mal/Iframe 1.5%
9. Mal/JavaGen 1.4%
10.Other 61.2%
Some of the malware discovered by Sophos on the 100,000 Mac computers 
sampled dates
back to 2007, and would have been easily detected if the users had run 
an anti-virus
product sooner. Bredo, a family of malicious programs sent out via spam, 
accounts
for 12.2 percent of malware detected on Mac computers. The first Bredo 
variant was
detected in 2009, and since then, countless variants have been released. 
Only last
week, it was used in a malicious email campaign that purported to have 
attached a
compromising picture of the recipient.
"The simple fact is that you can scan your Mac for infection from your 
armchair.
The test is painless and free; you just download an anti-virus product 
and allow
it to check your computer and protect it against infections in future," 
explained
Cluley.
Home users can join the millions of others who protect their computers 
by downloading
a free version of Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac from:
http://www.sophos.com/freemacav
.
Further information about these malware findings on Macs can be found on 
Sophos's
Naked Security site at:
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com
.
About Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best 
protection
against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing 
security
and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use 
and that
deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers 
award-winning
encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control 
solutions backed
by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With 
more than two
decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and 
data protection
by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information 
is available
at
www.sophos.com
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[real-eyes] One in Every Five Mac Computers Harbors Malware, Sophos Research Reveals

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