Apple Mac computers could be vulnerable to adware
installed by hackers using a new technique, security experts have
warned
Security firm F-Secure warned that it had been sent a
proof-of-concept sample of an adware program targeting Apple’s Mac
OS X operating system.
In a posting on its blog, F-Secure warned, “In theory, this
program could be silently installed to your user account and hooked
to each application you use… and it doesn't require administrator
rights to do so.”
F-Secure is not divulging the technique used, but added, “It's a
feature not a bug, but let's just say that installing a System
Library shouldn't be allowed without prompting the user. Especially
as it only requires Copy permissions. An Admin could install this
globally to all users.”
The sample received by the security firm could be used to
successfully launch a Mac’s web browser, F-Secure confirmed.
The warning comes amid signs that hackers, who have
traditionally focused on PCs with Windows, are increasingly turning
their attention to Apple machines.
Earlier this week, the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team
(US-CERT) warned that a publicly available exploit for a flaw in
the way Mac OS X handles disc image structures could be used to
carry out denial of service attacks.
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