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The Worm Turns: Two Viruses Found on the Internet Show That Apple Computers, Long Bypassed By Hackers, Are Now Targets, and Experts Expect Things to Get Worse.

Posted on: Monday, 6 March 2006, 18:00 CST

By Patrick Giblin, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Mar. 6--Don't panic! That's the advice being passed to owners of Apple computers by computer experts. They are sharing those words of wisdom because two viruses written to target Apple computers were discovered on the Internet last month. And a major security hole in OS X, the latest operating system for Apple computers, was found. While viruses and security weaknesses are almost everyday occurrences for owners of Windows-based computers, they are virtually unheard of in the world of Apple.

But that world is changing. Computer security experts say more viruses and security flaws for Apple computers will be found in the near future. It's the price of popularity, they explained. "You will start to see more exploits, but only because Apple has garnered a lot of attention in the past year," said Vincent Weafer, a senior director at Symantec. Symantec makes anti-virus and security software for computers. "But it's certainly not the dam bursting," Weafer said, adding that Apple computers will be getting a lot more attention from virus writers and security experts. There are two reasons Apple computers are in the spotlight, he said: * Apple recently switched to Intel chips for its computer processors. Intel chips primarily had been used in Windows machines. Though the Intel-based Apple computers have been on the market less than two months, researchers want to see if the switch will create Windows-like problems in Apple machines. Virus writers are hoping the chip creates more security holes that they can exploit. * Apple computers are becoming more popular, thanks to the success of Apple's iPod portable music player. Exact sales figures of Apple computers in the past year were not released by the company, but analysts said the company had stronger-than-expected sales of Macintosh computers in December. Apple has about 5 percent of the personal computer market. The problems in Apple computers started in mid-February, when two viruses were discovered. One virus, named OSX.Leap.A, infects computers through Apple's iChat instant-messaging program. Once on a computer, it replicates and sends itself to all other computer users listed as contacts in iChat. The other virus is named OSX.Ingtana.A. It's a worm that spreads itself through Bluetooth connections to Apple computers. Bluetooth is wireless technology that lets devices communicate at distances of about 30 feet. A worm is a computer virus that actively seeks security weaknesses in computers. Neither virus did much damage. Two weeks ago, Danish security firm Secunia revealed a security hole in the latest version of OS X. According to Symantec, the flaw takes advantage of the Safari Web browser that's part of the new Apple's operating system. That browser is set to automatically open compressed files and movies that are deemed to be "safe."

The browser can be tricked into opening and downloading malicious code, Syconia said. Its conclusions were verified by Symantec. Apple company officials released a statement shortly after the security hole was found: "Apple takes security very seriously. We're working on a fix so that this doesn't become something that could affect customers. Apple always advises Mac users to only accept files from vendors and Web sites that they know and trust." Despite the security threats in recent weeks, that doesn't mean that Apple computers suddenly have as many viruses and security weaknesses as Windows machines, Weafer said. "There are 200 known worms for Apple computers, as opposed to a few hundred thousand for Windows computers," he said. "From a home-user point of view, I would not panic or worry. But it's a good opportunity to go back and look at your computer practices and see if there's something that can be changed to make the computer a little safer."

He said that Apple computer owners should check that their virus detection software and operating system are updated. He also suggested home users get a firewall. A firewall is a program or a piece of equipment that prevents hackers from gaining access to a computer. ------------ How to keep your Macintosh safe While security and virus problems with Apple computers aren't expected to become as common as those with Windows-based computers, experts say they are on the rise. There are some actions that Apple computer owners can take to try to protect their machines from hackers and virus writers: -- Be careful about visiting Web sites. Sites that offer pornography, expensive programs for "free" and video games for gaming consoles can have viruses hidden in their content. -- Don't open e-mail from strangers. If the name of the sender is unknown, delete the message. -- Don't click on links in an e-mail without knowing where the link leads. Some e-mails may look like they came from a friend or relative but may have been sent by another computer infected with a virus. The owner of that computer might not know that the e-mail was sent. -- Don't download programs or files without knowing the source of the file. -- Update the operating system. Apple offers free security updates on its Web site. -- Install a virus scanner and keep it updated. Check for updates at least once a week. -- Get a firewall if the computer has a high-speed connection to the Internet. If it's the only computer with a Web connection, buy a firewall program. If multiple computers are connected to the Internet through a computer router, see if the router has a firewall installed in it.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

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Source: The Sacramento Bee

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