Do you remember the infected copy of iWork ’09 that leaked to the Internet via Torrent sites earlier this year? Well it looks like now those that downloaded and installed it are part of a Botnet. According to a paper posted in the Virus Bulletin by Symantec researchers Mario Ballano Barcena and Alfredo Pesoli there is a Mac OS X botnet on the rise.
What makes this interesting was the Trojans delivery method, infected copies of iWork ’09 and Photoshop CS4 which were posted to Torrent sites. Overly trusting Mac users downloaded the applications and then installed them, granting administrative privileges to the applications and the Trojans.
This Botnet marks the beginning of a new marketing opportunity for antivirus makers and I expect that very soon we will see the “buy our product or watch your Mac be like Windows” advertisements. Then this can open up the door to fake antivirus programs and begin the cycle of fear all over again.
Check It Out> ZDNet, Virus Bulletin
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