Part of the Mac appeal to new computer users is that they are (or have been) virtually free from viruses. Since the large majority of the population uses Windows, hackers design viruses and worms to attack PCs to get more bang for their virus buck. And although there's no reason to panic just yet, researchers have found a virus that can attack your Apple computer now too.
It's not like there haven't been viruses designed for the Mac before, but this one, called iBotnet, has been successful at wiggling its way into thousands of computers around the country since January. And once the virus makes its way into your system, your computer will then be part of a large network which can be controlled buy the virus's author. How can you avoid this virus? Find out when you read more.
Thankfully, a large majority of Mac users won't have to worry about this virus, since iBotnet is contracted by downloading pirated versions of iWork. So if you don't want iBotnet on your machine, you should steer clear of any extracurricular file sharing activity!
Isabella Oliver
Ben Sherman
Mishumo
it is o+not a virus, it is trojan
1I should be safe then, I don't use iWork.
2I'm not sure if this is the same thing I read about a week or so ago but that was in pirated copies of iWork and Adobe CS4. Maybe the lessen here is not to steal?
3@SB Marilyn: Its the same thing.
@ Anonymous: you're right. Its not a virus. Its a trojan horse. If someone installs a pirated version of iWork, they'll open up a secret "backdoor" into their system, which will allow the hackers to malisciously control their system and access their files without their knowledge.
This has been around since January. See here for more: http://tr.im/jvLn
4Oh, phew! I bought iWork with my new Mac at an Apple Store in January b/c I didn't want to buy the MS Office suite [I miss the voice recording feature in the Notes view, though]...it's only pirated versions though, and I don't use iWork much anymore.
5I don't get why this is all over the news (other than wanting people to think "OMG Macs aren't safe!") when the only way to get it is to steal iWork.
6Good to know!
7Wow, what a surprising headline! Great to know. Thanks for the tip.
8you know i'm taking only a little solace in the fact that it's on iWork downloads, i still just think i'm not gonna download a lot for a while. i'm a little protective of my baby. lol
9Oooh I do love me some iWork... it's amazing. But thankfully I don't download software illegally!
10Phew! I got scared there for a second!
11That title scared me!
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