Mac

Computers
April 26, 2012
by

Apple is 10 years behind Microsoft on security, expert says

By on April 26, 2012 at 5:35 PM.

Apple is 10 years behind Microsoft on security, expert says

Apple may be the most valuable company in the world, but when it comes to security, the Cupertino-based company doesn’t hold a candle to Microsoft. Kaspersky Lab co-founder and chief executive Eugene Kaspersky on Wednesday told CBR that Apple is a decade behind Microsoft in terms of computer security. ”I think they are ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security,” Kaspersky said. “For many years I’ve been saying that from a security point of view there is no big difference between Mac and Windows. It’s always been possible to develop Mac malware, but [Flashback] was a bit different. For example it was asking questions about being installed on the system and, using vulnerabilities, it was able to get to the user mode without any alarms.” More than 600,000 Macs were infected by the Flashback trojan virus before it was discovered earlier this month and the exploit it used to infect OS X PCs was patched. “Apple will understand very soon that they have the same problems Microsoft had ten or 12 years ago,” Kaspersky said. ”They will have to make changes in terms of the cycle of updates and so on and will be forced to invest more into their security audits for the software.”

More →

No Comments
Humor
April 26, 2012
by

Man offers to legally change name for a ticket to Apple’s WWDC

By on April 26, 2012 at 10:45 AM.

Man offers to legally change name for a ticket to Apple’s WWDC

Apple announced on Wednesday that its annual Worldwide Developer Conference will take place from June 11th through June 15th this year in San Francisco, California. The company made tickets available at around 8:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, and they were sold out within two hours, likely before most West Coast-based developers even woke up. Tickets are not transferable this year and as such, developers who didn’t manage to secure a ticket don’t have many options. One man, however, found a way around Apple’s restrictions. More →

No Comments
Computers
April 25, 2012
by

New Flashback variant continues Java attack on Macs

By on April 25, 2012 at 9:05 PM.

New Flashback variant continues Java attack on Macs

Security firm Intego on Monday announced that it had discovered a new variant of the Flashback malware called Flashback.S that continues to use a Java vulnerability Apple has already patched. This variant requires no password to install, and it places its files into the user’s home folder in “~/Library/LaunchAgents/com. java.update.plist” and “~/.jupdate.” Once Fashback.S is installed, it will then delete all files and folders in “~/Library/Caches/Java/cache” in order to delete the applet from the infected Mac, and avoid detection. The virus is actively being distributed, although it will not install if it finds Intego VirusBarrier X6, Xcode or Little Snitch installed on the Mac it tries to attack.

More →

No Comments
Software
April 25, 2012
by

‘HackStore’ brings Cydia-like app store to Macs

By on April 25, 2012 at 6:25 PM.

‘HackStore’ brings Cydia-like app store to Macs

A group of developers in Russia recently launched the “HackStore,” a centralized location for third-party OS X applications. Like Cydia on iOS, the HackStore is a software hub that allows developers to distribute applications without having to endure Apple’s approval process. The developers behind the project claim that piracy will not be tolerated in their app store, though it is unclear exactly what measures they are taking to prevent pirated software from being distributed through the HackStore. “The biggest Mac Appstore problem is that they limit their users in everything, without giving an opportunity to expand these limits,” HackStore’s creators wrote on their website. “This is not correct, because ONLY users should decide which applications they should install and which one do not. We think HackStore [will] break through the narrow confines of Mac Appstore.” More →

No Comments
Computers
April 24, 2012
by

Though risks are minimal, one in five Mac computers found to contain Windows malware

By on April 24, 2012 at 11:00 PM.

Though risks are minimal, one in five Mac computers found to contain Windows malware

Security firm Sophos on Tuesday indicated that a surprisingly high level of malware has been found on Mac computers — the firm’s research revealed that one in every five Mac computers is harboring some kind of Windows malware. Of the 100,000 customers sampled through Sophos’s antivirus offerings, 20% of users were found to be carrying one or more instances of Windows malware. The firm highlighted that Windows malware on a Mac won’t cause any harm, however, unless the computer also runs a Windows partition in addition to OS X. The company’s research found that just 2.7% of Macs that installed the company’s free anti-virus software were infected by OS X malware. Nearly all of the OS X malware discovered was an iteration of the “Flashback” trojan called “Flshplyr.” Sophos said that cybercriminals may find Macs to be targets because OS X users are less likely to be running an anti-virus software, however Macs can get viruses and the right software can keep a user’s computer safe. A second pie chart follows below. More →

No Comments
Breaking
April 24, 2012
by

Apple crushes estimates in Q2, reports profit of $11.6 billion on $39.2 billion in revenue

By on April 24, 2012 at 4:30 PM.

Apple crushes estimates in Q2, reports profit of $11.6 billion on $39.2 billion in revenue

After a rough month that saw Apple’s stock tumble nearly $90 from a high of $644 earlier this month to as low as $555.18 on Tuesday, Apple reported its earnings for the second fiscal quarter on Tuesday after the market closed. Following a last-minute round of panic that swept Wall Street, Apple posted a net profit of $11.6 billion, or$12.30 per share — up 94% year-over-year — on revenue of $39.2 billion, crushing the Street’s consensus. Analysts were expecting earnings of $10.06 per share on $36.81 billion in sales. Read on for more. More →

No Comments
Security
April 23, 2012
by

Security firm identifies origins of ‘Flashback’ Mac virus

By on April 23, 2012 at 7:05 PM.

Security firm identifies origins of ‘Flashback’ Mac virus

The “Flashback” virus discovered to have infected more than 600,000 Mac computers earlier this month originated on a series of WordPress blogs, security experts have determined. According to Alexander Gostev, head of the global research and analysis team at Kaspersky, the virus began as a trojan hidden within a fake Adobe software update. In March, however, the malware’s creators repackaged the virus in a “drive-by attack” that infected users’ Apple computers when they visited one of thousands of compromised WordPress blogs. ”Tens of thousands of sites powered by WordPress were compromised,” Gostev wrote on Kaspersky’s SecureList blog. “How this happened is unclear. The main theories are that bloggers were using a vulnerable version of WordPress or they had installed the ToolsPack plug-in.” Apple released a system update earlier this month that patched a Java vulnerability and removed most common iterations of the Flashback virus. As of the middle of last week, however, more than 140,000 Mac computers were still infected with the virus, which is capable of intercepting private data and transmitting it without a user’s knowledge. More →

No Comments
Computers
April 18, 2012
by

140,000 Mac computers still infected by ‘Flashback’ trojan, firm says

By on April 18, 2012 at 8:45 AM.

140,000 Mac computers still infected by ‘Flashback’ trojan, firm says

Apple responded fairly quickly to news that more than 600,000 Mac computers were infected with a trojan virus called “Flashback.” One week after the massive botnet was discovered, Apple issued an update fixing the Java vulnerability that allowed Flashback to infect the machines, as well as a removal tool for affected machines. Despite the company’s efforts, Symantec stated on Tuesday evening that approximately 140,000 OS X PCs were still infected with the virus at that time. “The statistics from our sinkhole are showing declining numbers on a daily basis,” the company wrote on its blog. “However, we had originally believed that we would have seen a greater decline in infections at this point in time, but this has proven not to be the case. Currently, it appears that the number of infected computers has tapered off, but remains around the 140,000 mark.” Symantec offers its own Flashback removal tool separate from the one Apple made available in a system update on April 12th. More →

No Comments
Computers
April 16, 2012
by

Second Mac trojan discovered, also exploits Java vulnerability

By on April 16, 2012 at 1:15 PM.

Second Mac trojan discovered, also exploits Java vulnerability

The “Flashback” trojan virus affecting at least 600,000 Macs was discovered last week that is capable of intercepting passwords and other private data. The discovery prompted Apple to release a Java update for OS X users that removed a number of common variants of the virus. Securelist on Saturday found another Mac trojan that is also spread through Java exploits, however. The malware, called Backdoor.OSX.SabPub, can take screenshots of a user’s current session, execute commands on an infected machine and connect to a remote website to transmit the data. It is not clear how users get infected with the trojan, but because of the low number of instances and the trojan’s backdoor functionality, Securelist speculates that it is most likely used in targeted attacks, possibly launched through emails containing a URL pointing to two one of websites hosting the exploit. More →

No Comments
Business
April 12, 2012
by

On this day in 1976, Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $2,300

By on April 12, 2012 at 1:00 PM.

On this day in 1976, Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $2,300

On April 12th, 1976, one of three co-founders of Apple Computer sold his 10% stake in the company for $2,300. Ronald Wayne says he made the “best decision with the information available to me at the time” when he chose to sell his shares in the emerging technology firm. Unlike counterparts Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Wayne had capital on the line and stood to lose his assets if Apple went under. Had he retained his full stake in Apple to this day, it would currently be worth nearly $60 billion. Wayne went on to enjoy a long career as an engineer with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other firms, Wired reports, and he later opened a stamp shop before retiring to Pahrump, Nevada. Apple is currently the most valuable company in the world and as of Wednesday’s close, the company’s market capitalization totalled just under $585 billion. More →

No Comments
Security
April 5, 2012
by

‘Flashback’ trojan virus found to affect 600,000 Macs

By on April 5, 2012 at 7:50 AM.

‘Flashback’ trojan virus found to affect 600,000 Macs

The idea that Macs don’t get viruses is now officially a thing of the past. Of course Mac malware has been around for years, but now a massive botnet has been discovered that takes this relatively small issue and makes it a widespread problem. While hackers indeed target Windows PCs far more frequently, a trojan horse virus discovered earlier this year has reportedly now been found to affect more that half a million Mac computers worldwide. Russian anti-virus vendor Dr. Web has discovered that malware called “BackDoor.Flashback.39″ is currently present on at least 600,000 Macs. The trojan has the capability to use a java vulnerability to intercept passwords and other private data, and then transmit the information back to the person or group that deployed it. Apple has since patched the vulnerability, but security experts at F-Secure have published a simple guide to help Mac users determine whether or not they are infected, and then remove any malicious files from their computers that are tied to the Flashback trojan. A link to F-Secure’s guide can be found below. More →

No Comments
Software
March 30, 2012
by

Flutter app brings Kinect-like gesture controls to iTunes, Spotify [video]

By on March 30, 2012 at 5:35 PM.

Flutter app brings Kinect-like gesture controls to iTunes, Spotify [video]

Microsoft’s wildly popular Kinect controller for the Xbox 360 brought motion-based controls to the masses when it launched in late 2010. While similar technology will be built into a variety of consumer electronics moving forward — especially HDTVs — Mac users now have access to a free app that will add gesture controls to their current OS X computers. Currently compatible with just two programs, iTunes and Spotify, the Flutter app for Mac allows users to control music and video playback by making hand gestures that are recorded and relayed by the PC’s built-in iSight camera. The app is an early alpha build, yet we found that it performs as described and it worked well even from a few feet away. Flutter is not yet available in the Mac App Store, but it can be downloaded for free directly from the company’s website. A video showcasing the app follows below. More →

No Comments
Business
March 29, 2012
by

Half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product

By on March 29, 2012 at 7:30 AM.

Half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product

Apple’s stock recently crossed the $600 mark and there are no signs that the world’s most valuable company is slowing down. According to a poll from CNBC, half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product and residents of one-in-10 homes that lack Apple products plan to buy their first Apple device over the next year. If accurate, the survey indicates that more than 55 million homes have at least one iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac computer. Overall, the average household has 1.6 Apple devices and almost one-quarter are planning to buy at least one more in the next year. The survey also showed that the majority of Apple buyers tend to be male, college-educated and younger. Not surprisingly, the more money someone earns, the more Apple products he or she is likely to own according to the survey. Interestingly enough, 61% of households with children own an Apple device, compared with 48% of homes without kids. CNBC conducted the survey with 836 Americans alongside Hart Research between March 19th and March 22nd. More →

No Comments