Although Mac malware is almost non-existent, that is no reason to become complacent and think the Mac is completely immune. A trojan named Flashback with several variants that supports remote control of a Mac has infected over 600,000 Macs by exploiting a vulnerability in Java. It can be activated by inadvertently visiting certain web sites that then trigger what looks like a Flash software update.
To be safe you should do 2 things:
1. Download and install the Mac system update for Java to protect against any future infections by this trojan
2. Enter at least a couple of terminal commands to determine if you have already been infected.
This TidBITS link provides the default read terminal commands to detect the infection and instructions for its removal if you have already been affected. Note that this trojan works in stealth mode so you might not see any symptoms even if you are infected. Do the tests just for peace of mind that your computer isn’t part of a botnet.
Privacy Payoff Book Review With the current news of Facebook’s IPO it is good to review selected chapters from a classic text on the importance of privacy by Ann Cavoukian the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Don Tapscott in the forward provides a reminder of the digital shadow that results from data generated from…
Continue Reading »
Bucaro identifies McAfee Stinger as a potential free supplement to your regular anti-virus software for Windows OS.
Continue Reading »
Anil Dash has written an important article, Facebook is gas lighting the web, explaining the dirty tricks Facebook is doing to fight for domination of the Internet. He calls it gas lighting and it is way beyond just competing for ad revenue. People need to be aware of the tactics being employed and their implications…
Continue Reading »
Google and Facebook are in a battle for the next generation of Internet which is all about making it more social (i.e. The network adapts to human requirements instead of people being constrained by network limitations). Facebook has already started to respond to Google’s initiative to include more functional privacy features such as circles (not…
Continue Reading »
If you get a call from a stranger who tells you that they know you have computer problems that can be solved by following their directions to allow remote access don’t be fooled. Either hang up right away or collect information about the caller and report them. For example, in our area we reported this…
Continue Reading »
I have found snopes.com as a quite useful and trustworthy site for research on Internet rumours and scams. It is a bit like the mythbusters tv show as it strives to provide the truth on information being spread especially when the sources aren’t usually known. Some items that I have recently checked on. Hallmark Postcard…
Continue Reading »
The risk factor blog has a summary of the new cyberwarfare rules being established by the US government.
Continue Reading »
A summary by an IEEE risk analyst shows that there is a trend of more cyber attacks with greater impact that are getting publicized including attacks against security vendors themselves. The attack on Treasury Board in Canada was notable in the extended denial of Internet service that had to be invoked in dealing with the…
Continue Reading »
Anil Dash has written another excellent article that provides a short history of trustworthy computing. It is illuminating because: It explains how Apple’s IOS is an example of a new computing model based on trustworthy computing principles It gives credit to Microsoft research for establishing some of the principles of trustworthy computing. Another theme that…
Continue Reading »
