Tuesday, April 3, 2012

New Flashback Variant Using Unpatched Java Flaw to Infect Macs

Macs say 'NO' to Java!

Update: Apple Releases Patch for Multiple Java Vulnerabilities (including the one exploited by Flashback)

Alright, Mac users, you have a few options here: install antivirus software, disable Java and/or pray that you don’t come across a website pushing the latest variant of the Flashback Trojan.

Why?

The latest Flashback Trojan build, which security experts at F-Secure have named Flashback.K, is currently making rounds and exploiting a Java vulnerability (CVE-2012-0507) that has not yet been patched in OS X.

To make matters worse, Brian Krebs of KrebsonSecurity.com warned at the end of March that the exploit for CVE-2012-0507 was added to the Blackhole exploit kit, which is said to be by far the most widely used exploit pack to carry out drive-by-download attacks.

Ironically, Oracle released a patch back in February for Windows users; however, it is Apple’s responsibility to release an update to protect Mac users.

So far, there hasn’t been any word on when Apple plans on releasing an update. Therefore, it’s up to users to take the necessary measures to keep their Macs Flashback-free.

Protecting Your Mac Against Flashback Malware


For those of you who wish to keep Java installed & enabled on your Mac, it’s advised that you install antivirus software. I suggest checking out the Mac antivirus offerings of ESET, Sophos (free) & Intego.

Or you can toggle the Java Safari plug-in as needed by going to Safari Preferences -> Security tab and unchecking the ‘Enable Java’ box. Make sure you disable the plug-in in any other browsers you use as well.

If you don’t need Java, you can disable it by going to Applications -> Utilities -> Java Preferences and unchecking everything in the General tab. (Hint: OS X Lion users don’t have to do this unless they’ve manually (or inadvertently) installed Java as it doesn’t come pre-installed.)

Update: Apple Releases Patch for Multiple Java Vulnerabilities (including the one exploited by Flashback)

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