Virus shows that Mac OS X is not invulnerable

It's a remote administration tool, like Apple Remote Desktop(ARD) or VNC. You could use a trojan to deliver it. But by itself, it's not a threat. Your Mac comes with ARD already installed. You're probably in more danger of someone hacking in through ARD than you are of someone tricking you into installing Blackhole RAT.

ignorance is bliss,

Also, when a company that sells security software starts telling you the sky is falling, you might wanna look before you leap... A grain of salt, as it were.

This is when all the anti-Apple people come out of the woodwork and start screaming bloody murder as well. No one has ever said Mac OS X is not invulnerable, all that has been said is that the system has not been dealt any real threats in the wild up to this point and so far, Mac users have not had to worry about them.

I've been running OS X for 10 years now and have never installed any kind of security software on any of my systems. I have NEVER had a problem. You are correct that no operating system is immune from malware and vulnerabilities, but the fact is, Apple constantly updates its operating system and Mac users are quick to update their computers to the newest version of the OS. This makes it difficult for any vulnerability to become a wide spread issue.

The problem with Windows is not the current versions of the OS, but from the older versions of the OS. Windows users have to protect themselves from all the malware written 10 years ago, because of all the backwards compatibility Microsoft is forced to hang onto. They are obliged to make sure corporate IT departments aren't left behind with newer OS versions. This leaves users and administrators stuck dealing with legacy issues.

Yes, there may have been an issue with Bluetooth almost 5 years ago, but do you know how many updates and upgrades there have been to Mac OS X since then? Hell, OS X doesn't even run on PowerPC CPUs anymore. Any virus or bit of malware written before the switch to Intel, is now dead.

Any half educated Mac user can keep their system free of malware; don't download software or click on links you know nothing about and keep your system up to date.

That would be 6 WHOLE pages (af 10 per page) of things other than Viri compared to 6500 pages of Windows threats? Macs aren't immune to malware, but the risk is very much less.

Ok, well since the Macheads here seem to live in an alternative reality. There are both worms and Trojans for Mac OS X. I don't care if there are more for Windows. You continue to help perpetuate the myth that Mac OS X is completely invulnerable.

The average user needs protection on any OS they run.

Here is a Worm that exploited a bluetooth vulnerability to spread - Inqtana-A (It's the second from 2006.)
http://tinyurl.com/4ej9pb2

Sophos has 6 pages of results for Trojans and Worms for OS X.
http://tinyurl.com/4qz89lu

Now get off your high horses and stop criticizing the article for using the term Virus. It fits right in with the lack of knowledge most Mac end users have about the potential risks to their system. It's often used as a generic term for Worm/Trojan/Virus/Blended/etc.

@Ian - Are we really going to argue which is worse, a virus or a Trojan? Personally, I think a Trojan is often worse than a virus in that it often allows for remote execution of additional code and adaptation.

Viruses and Trojans both require user intervention to spread usually through running an executable. Yes, Viruses replicate themselves to other executable on the system but still require intervention to infect remote systems.

It's worms that spread to remote systems on their own when they can find openings.

The limited user nature of any UNIX system helps contain viruses from spreading to the core OS or other system users. Of course, that's all a mute point if users aren't educated to be careful and believe that they are invulnerable.

As you say, being careful is good on any OS. This is something that more members of the larger Apple community should be calling for instead of attacking anyone who reports about an exploit on Mac OS X.

I read no where in the article that says Mac is more vulnerable than Windows. The issue is that it's not invulnerable or perfect, no OS is but end users often do not understand this.

After ten years, and Mac OS X still does not have ONE virus. Compare that to the previous Mac OS, which had up to 80 viruses. And yet, people will say OS X has none because it is relatively small compared to Windows. So how does that explain Mac OS 9? It was vastly more popular than OS X? LOL

A Trojan is NOT a Virus d u m b - a s s.

I am all for being careful but there is a big difference between trojan and virus. The Mac is still not as vulnerable as Windows because this code is not self replicating. It needs the user to spread it. It will not spread like wildfire like so many PC viruses.

@Don108 - This article is hardly Mac bashing at all and the fact that you see it that way speaks volumes about you.

The article is reasonably trying to educate the average Mac user that it is likely a good idea for them to run some form of protection. Every user of any OS should be careful of what they download and install.

Again the comments here have also not said anything about not using Mac OS X or saying it's worse than anything else. They've been calling for the same thing, to educate Mac users so that they don't think they are invulnerable to exploit.

I'm glad you like running a Unix(BSD) based OS. I've been doing it for years so welcome to the camp. I'm also glad that you run proper AV/malware protections as well as practicing safe computing. However, you must not be hanging out with the same level of Apple users that we have. Many of them refuse to run any virus protection and honestly believe Apple's advertising that Mac is invulnerable to any exploit at all.

Curiously, although I have met thousands of Apple users, I have never met any who have ever claimed that the Mac is invulnerable, only that it is more secure than Windows. On the other hand, Apple haters such as your headline writers and some of the bozos posting here, have often made the false claim that Mac users believe the Mac is invulnerable. It's a straw man argument, and considering there are about a million pieces of malware for Windows and less than a handful of supposed malware for the Mac, you Apple haters lose.

@sandifop - Before you go defending your beloved platform you might want to find something better than, well this is a Trojan not a virus.

The bottom line is that no platform is immune from infection. This does potentially point to the fact that Apple users should be taking the threat more seriously. Many Apple end users are living under the belief that their systems are invulnerable because Apple has advertised them as such.

Overall, the article was good and I'd hardly call the author's technical ability into question.

Especially, when you, yourself don't realize that a virus also requires the operator to install it. A worm is the one that spreads from machine to machine without user intervention.

In basic it shows that Mac are vulnerable to attack the same as any other computer is.

Windows users run anti-virus software not just for viruses but for all the other kinds of threats. In 14 years I haven't gotten a virus on Windows but ask a Mac user and apparently Windows users are constantly being infected. No my Anti-Virus application just likes to tell me how great it is so I renew every year. The only way I could get infected is on the same level as MAC I must accept/execute the virus however because I run AV software I should be warned before this can occur where a MAC user runs nothing to warn them they are about to infect themselves.

The problem with Mac users is they think they are invincible so when they are infected, botted, or hacked since they dont run any Anti-Virus/Security software they haven't a clue because there is no alarm to tell them about the intrusion or unusual activity.

I am a idiot yet I know the difference between a "virus" and a "trojan."

Looks as if the author and editor wished to grab clicks with a title containing "Mac" plus "Virus" when the issue is a trojan. Not the same problem.

A trojan requires an operator to install: there are hundreds of "trojans" that can attack a Mac. A "virus;" I know of one "virus" that has successfully been fielded since the '80s that can attack Unix systems. (Mac included)

Play to your strengths and stay out of tech.

Be careful only to buy apps from the app store, or you could get a Trojan, Here is one we made earlier.