[]1Malware, while a small concern for Macs on the OS X operating system, is starting to pop up now that more users turn to the Mac as their personal pc. Hackers are always looking for new ways to steal information and turn machines into their puppets to do more of their dirty work.
There is a new Mac trojan making its rounds called Trojan-Dropper:OSX/Revir.a which allows the attacker to run tasks in the background without the user ever knowing. Most victims of this Mac trojan virus are unaware that their computer has been compromised.
This Mac exploit was discovered by researchers at F-Secure and state the following on their blog:
This malware may be attempting to copy the technique implemented by Windows malware, which opens a PDF file containing a ‘.pdf.exe’ extension and an accompanying PDF icon. The sample on our hand does not have an extension or an icon yet. However, there is another possibility. It is slightly different in Mac, where the icon is stored in a separate fork that is not readily visible in the OS. The extension and icon could have been lost when the sample was submitted to us. If this is the case, this malware might be even stealthier than in Windows because the sample can use any extension it desires.
It is unclear how the trojan is spreading but it is suspected to be coming from ann email attachment circulating. All Mac users are advised not to download or open any PDF they cannot identify or doesn’t come from a trusted source.
