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Gartner warns about Mac OS X spyware potential

updated 04:30 pm EST, Thu March 31, 2005

Mac OS X security warnings

Gartner has become latest firm to . Citing the possibility of a hybrid worm that could affect both Mac/PCs, the firm said that a single vulnerability may go unnoticed and could cause problems for the relatively small user base: "The Macintosh installed base is relatively small, with only about 3 percent of systems in use today running the Mac OS,' Reynolds wrote in a research note. 'The Mac OS is also a harder target...However, it only takes one exploited weakness to cause trouble," he added.

by MacNN Staff

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Gorloth
Registered User

Joined: Nov 2001

0

03/31, 04:42pm | report spam | close Reply |
Tweedle Dee Dweedle Dum

Oh my Gawd the sky is falling

macdude22
Forum Regular

Joined: Nov 2001

0

03/31, 04:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
1 or a million

So, I'd rather take my chances with 1 "possible" exploit or virus than the hundreds, even thousands of exploits and viruses that are confirmed on the Windows platform, with more and more every day.

These people make my point for me, even one exploit can cause trouble. Sure, and multiply that by 1000 and you get Windows.

MPMoriarty
Dedicated MacNNer

Joined: Oct 2003

0

03/31, 05:08pm | report spam | close Reply |
They make a good point...

While I am not worried, the article had some good points. It only takes one really nasty worm or virus to cause a c*** load of problems on Mac OS X. Of course, it wouldn't be able to spread outside a user's home directory, but it would still be problematic.

It is better to be prepared for these type of things rather than just hope they don't happen.

exca1ibur
Mac Elite

Joined: Oct 2000

0

03/31, 05:31pm | report spam | close Reply |
Symantec

Sounds more like Symantec is trying to create a market for virus and spyware protection software on the Mac, being they burned a lot of bridges with Norton in the past.

testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

0

03/31, 05:39pm | report spam | close Reply |
Lousy points

Their point is lousy because it makes no sense. I don't consider worms or viruses to be 'spyware'. Spyware is all that c*** you get when you make the mistake of using IE on Windows, that tracks where you go, and annoys you with pop-ups and such. But they say:
He was also concerned that spyware targeting the Mac OS could establish itself before its existence was widely documented.

Gee, just like Windows or any other OS. Until the existence of spyware is known, of course it could be problematic and hard to find. And how vigilant should we be. Is this like the "Look out for suspicious activity and report it to the FBI" that people were told to do after 9/11? Should we all be running packet-sniffers and memory scanners looking for anything that might not supposed to be there?

The comment about a 'bybrid' worm is great, esp. if you read the article, where it actually says
A hybrid worm targeting both the Mac OS and Microsoft Windows could be developed, but such an attack would be difficult to orchestrate," Reynolds said.

Difficult to say the least. If its hybrid, it would have to be coded to target two completely different OS's AND platforms. That will only occur when "Virus/Worm Script Kit v3.0 (now with cross-platform support)" gets released so the script-kiddies can start sending them out. But at least they tell us up front that it COULD be possible. It also could be possible that I'll go home tonight and find an attractive woman making me dinner. But I don't think either is likely.

Oh, and saying "One exploit could cause trouble" is so obvious, its stupid. Do these people believe people think that we're all out here going "Gee, one or two holes? Who cares. You need at least a dozen to have a problem!"

Man, you know, I could work for Gartner (OK, I can't, I'd have quit by now for having to come out with statements that had a "duh!" factor of 10). But if it gets me that woman making me dinner....

Rosyna
Forum Regular

Joined: Aug 2001

0

03/31, 05:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
Sigh

I guess I should post this: http://www.unsanity.org/archives/000396.php

addisonx
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2002

0

03/31, 05:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
1998

1998 was the last time I got a Mac virus that affected me--remember the Autostart Worm?

AllenHuffman
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Joined: Dec 1999

0

03/31, 05:59pm | report spam | close Reply |
1 of 3% of 1000s of 97%?

Wasn't Autostart the one that also got out on a MacAddict CD?

The math here astounds me. It talks about how small the user base is (3%) and that it would be harder to cause problems on a Mac, but it's still possible. That has to mean that with a huge 97% userbase, and really easy exploits, things are far worse. But, that's not news 'cause everyone knows that.

It's like - if someone steals the radio from a convertable with the top down, that's not as big of a deal if someone breaks into a safety deposit box and steals the same radio, I guess ;-)

RJWOLFX
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 2003

0

03/31, 06:05pm | report spam | close Reply |
Metal Umbrella

Well technically, a gargoyle could fall off of a building and hit pedestrians walking below... so where do we sign up for the metal umbrellas? I'm not saying that it's not possible these companies could be right, but instead of working in the hypothetical - without any real world threat - come on - mac users have a little more sense than that. Give us an example and don't resort to scare tactics, that's just lame.

Eriamjh
Addicted to MacNN

Joined: Oct 2001

0

03/31, 06:29pm | report spam | close Reply |
Pure FUD!

Sky is falling because it isn't? What kind of bullsh*t logic is that?

Businesses who choose to run macs will stay on top of problems the same way they would any platform. It's not going to go hiddin for weeks because only 2% of the world is using it!

resuna
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2005

0

03/31, 07:01pm | report spam | close Reply |
Astroturf

My response to the Symantec beabling is still entirely relevant: http://scarydevil.com/~peter/io/symantec2.html

This is not to say I think Mac OS X is perfect (see my other articles), but this has the markings of a new Astroturf campaign... twice, in this case, is enemy action.

"the expression astroturfing is used pejoratively to describe formal public relations projects which deliberately seek to engineer the impression of spontaneous public reactions" -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing

l008com
Addicted to MacNN

Joined: Jan 2000

0

03/31, 07:05pm | report spam | close Reply |
Power

Power users have been joking for years that only virus out there for mac IS norton. The link "http://www.unsanity.org/archives/000396.php" that someone posted is interesting i guess, but its from the makers of APe, the program is again has been proven to make Mac crash randomly.

dootbran
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2002

0

03/31, 08:52pm | report spam | close Reply |
A wise man once said...

The reason I don't worry about getting hit in the face with a fish when I walk out my front door isn't that it's impossible but that its improbable.

eddd
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2001

0

03/31, 10:15pm | report spam | close Reply |
a good sign, really

This is all part of the re-emergence of Apple, so don't let it get you too riled. As the platform gains credibility outside of the creative markets, it will be subjected to sensationalism and opportunism. The media these days are mostly shallow gossips, caring more about eyeballs than integrity.

eswinson
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2002

0

03/31, 10:25pm | report spam | close Reply |
gosh

I'm sure there will be a mac virus or trojan at some point in the future. But I am secure in the fact that it will be snuffed out quickly and not render my computer absolutly usless on a daily basis with pop up ads and adware just reving up my cpu cycles.

This is like pinto drivers pointing at someone in a benz or volvo and saying "you could get in a seroius accident that could kill you." Like what is the alternative? Don't drive at all or don't use a computer.

LouZer
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2000

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03/31, 11:22pm | report spam | close Reply |
Forget this!

I can't believe you people! You're a bunch of a macfan boys who can't see the forest from the trees! The Mac OS is as vulnberable as ever. There's holes everywhere! Spyware is out there now (it is, its just no one knows it, Gartner says its probable so its probably true now!). At least with Windows we KNOW the holes. We know the spyware exists, and the worms and viruses abound.

You're all a bunch of ostriches with your heads in the sand if you're not seeing the big picture. There's no decent virus scanners for the Mac, and NO spyware detectors. WTF is this? No one in the enterprise sector is going to take the Mac seriously without these important tools! Stick with your Macs if you want, but I, like most sensible and security conscience computers users, am switching to Windows!

blidd
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2003

0

04/01, 02:28am | report spam | close Reply |
LouZer a fitting name

Switching to windows because you are a Security Conscience computer user! Don�t make me laugh. I do run Antivirus om My Mac Virex that is. I do it mainly to filter out any pc virus atachment in my mailbox. But lets talk about some of the "great" security features build into windows. Windowe 2003 Server service pack 1 It is now easier to turn of services you do not need Doh On a macserver you turn on the services you need not the other way around. Microsoft outlook has autoexecuting build in. One uninformed users doubleclick on an atachment and the mail with the virus is forwarded to everybody in is adressbook blaiming somebody else. A lot of software stops working if you do not run it as administrator which basically means you will run like root on a mac, because the results is the same when something nasty gets through. Noby in their right mind runs their machine as route on a mac, and people in their wrong mind would not know how to activate it. I can run all my software as a standard user and make upgrades with my admin account. A standard user account does not prevent me from running software. Choosing a platform with suchs blatant security flaws in its design and the mail client of choice isn�t done buy a security conscienced computer users, but by a uninformed individual who has read one to many Microsoft sponsored get the fact ads. PS a keybord locking utility on your machine is spyware, and as such it does excist on the mac as well, but it will not install it self. It need you to verify the installing process with your admin account and password

Ilgaz
Registered User

Joined: Nov 2004

0

04/01, 06:49am | report spam | close Reply |
Well, let me tell...

L i m e s h o p control panel was a spyware experiment and susceeded until mac geeks figured it out.

riverfreak
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Aug 2001

0

04/01, 09:20am | report spam | close Reply |
"only 3%"

Yes, with only 3% of the marketplace, a virus unleashed on Macs could go unnoticed for years. What morons. If the number of installs totalled 1000, perhaps, but not millions and millions of machines.

TwinFeats
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 1999

0

04/01, 10:04am | report spam | close Reply |
They miss the point-again

It amazes me how these companies continue to miss the point (not surprising for Symantec, it's in their business interest to spread fear among newer Mac users). Can spyware be installed on a Mac? Yes, of course. The point is that simply receiving an email won't do it. Opening a Word doc attachment won't do it. OSX would prompt you for the password in order to install, it's silly trying to make these comparisons!

williamdrover
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2005

0

04/01, 10:09am | report spam | close Reply |
Smart Person Here

Quote from LouZer:
"I can't believe you people! You're a bunch of a macfan boys who can't see the forest from the trees! The Mac OS is as vulnberable as ever. There's holes everywhere! Spyware is out there now (it is, its just no one knows it, Gartner says its probable so its probably true now!). At least with Windows we KNOW the holes. We know the spyware exists, and the worms and viruses abound.

You're all a bunch of ostriches with your heads in the sand if you're not seeing the big picture. There's no decent virus scanners for the Mac, and NO spyware detectors. WTF is this? No one in the enterprise sector is going to take the Mac seriously without these important tools! Stick with your Macs if you want, but I, like most sensible and security conscience computers users, am switching to Windows!"

You definately should switch to a Windoze machine. It sounds like it's more on your level. Please don't ever buy a MAC again.

JTVD
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2001

0

04/01, 11:12am | report spam | close Reply |
Hahahahahaa!

LouZer, what are you on?
Are you saying that you actually had problems with spyware and viruses on the Mac platform recently, finally had enough and now decided to switch to windows?
Pray elaborate...
Of course nobody is very interested in developing Virus protection, there is no real market for this on a Mac.
Sure, it would be great if we had great protection programs, the simple truth is that there is so little cal for this right now, that companies like Symantesc have to resort to scare tactics to sell their programs at all.
The best solution would then surely be for Apple to integrate industrial strength Virus protection into the OS.
I have however NEVER heard of anyone on a Mac connecting to the internet without a firewall and be infected within minutes with a plethora of viruses without him having actually hit a single button.
This seems to be totally common on Windows, how would any newbie know how to protect themselves?
Sure, sensible and security conscious peole prefer that option...

porieux
Baninated

Joined: Mar 2001

0

04/01, 03:06pm | report spam | close Reply |
FUD!

FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD! FUD!

That's all, folks.

porieux
Baninated

Joined: Mar 2001

0

04/01, 03:10pm | report spam | close Reply |
U R A technological idiot

If you think spyware can exist and be undetectable. It doesn't work that way.

Musicus
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2002

0

04/01, 04:10pm | report spam | close Reply |
Heavy irony...

...from LouZer, I think.

kw99
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2001

0

04/02, 01:13am | report spam | close Reply |
That ONE exploit...

that hasn't happened yet. The number of Mac OS systems in business may be relatively small, but they are also relatively high-profile. The author (or Gartner in this case) warns that Mac users should not ASSUME Mac are immune. That is good advice. But these "experts" should not ASSUME that hackers have not tried already, and failed. There is more to Mac OS X security than "Windows is a bigger target."

I'll take the warnings more seriously when there has actually been one REAL example of a semi-successful Mac OS X "exploit."

aer
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

0

04/02, 09:06am | report spam | close Reply |
Um

I think my biggest worry as a Mac sys admin is that my users have turned off Norton 9 for the Mac's annoying, in your face, ugly yellow and brown striped update manager with the blinking antenna on top every time they log in (who could blame them though?) They probably don't have the last 13.8 MB worth of virus definitions from Symantec. (Hey wait a minute- who here thinks Symantec is really going to sent through a new definition IMMEDIATELY if a Mac trojan/virus/worm is discovered?? They won't- it isn't good for their business. The first Mac OS X virus will infect your machine, then Symantec will release a removal tool for it maybe two weeks later and then curse at Mac users on CNET for not using anti-virus software and keeping it updated.) Symantec's Mac solution is a terrible log that just pops up and looks bad and takes forever to download virus defs. Can't some of this stuff happen in the background like it does on a PC? I hate Symantec.

eswinson
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2002

0

04/03, 07:56pm | report spam | close Reply |
Scare Tactic

How can you have definitions for viruses that don't exist? This reminds me of the plot from "The Village."

There used to be a virus that infected both macs and windows. It was called Internet Explorer.

just a poster
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2004

0

04/04, 02:26am | report spam | close Reply |
Funny

I've always considered Symantec's antivirus software for the mac to be the most harmful Mac virus.

Has Symantec finally fixed that "bug" that erases your mail.app inbox if some Windows luser sends you a Windows-based virus attachment (which is totally incompatible with the Mac, BTW).

And what is with LiveUpdate's ridiculous update dialog. Can we please make the dialog take up any more precious screen real estate just to show me the progress of a download?

I frikkin' hate Symantec. I hope Microsoft runs 'em out of business.

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Gartner warns about Mac OS X spyware potential

updated 04:30 pm EST, Thu March 31, 2005

Mac OS X security warnings

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Recent Articles

Tweedle Dee Dweedle Dum

1 or a million

They make a good point...

Symantec

Lousy points

Sigh

1998

1 of 3% of 1000s of 97%?

Metal Umbrella

Pure FUD!

Astroturf

Power

A wise man once said...

a good sign, really

gosh

Forget this!

LouZer a fitting name

Well, let me tell...

"only 3%"

They miss the point-again

Smart Person Here

Hahahahahaa!

FUD!

U R A technological idiot

Heavy irony...

That ONE exploit...

Um

Scare Tactic

Funny

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