Apple Making Flashback Tool, Kaspersky, F-Secure Release Theirs

We don’t hear too much about Macs getting viruses like Windows machines. But just because hackers and crackers have not managed to do major damage to this platform with their codes, that does not mean it is not possible. In fact, the latest variant of the Flashback Trojan did manage to infect over 600k Macs. It uses a exploit in Java to infect Mac machines.

Apple has already released a Java update that patches the security hole but many machines were infected by that time. The company is serious about stopping these types of hack attacks. It has been working with ISPs to stop the main servers for this malware. Apple is planning to release a detection and removal tool for this. But waiting for it may not be the best idea. F-Secure already has a simple tool that detects whether your Mac is infected with the Trojan.

F-Secure’s tool is pretty easy to use. You just have to install it and follow the instructions to find the infections on your computer. Kaspersky Lab also has a tool for the Flashback/Flashfake issue. According to the company, the number of infected Macs has been dropped dramatically in the past few days.

The drop in unique bots is most likely caused by efforts on the DNS levels. For example, a certain DNS could ban access to Flashback domains, which stops users from connecting to the malicious C&C servers, as well as our sinkhole

Alex Gostev, Kaspersky’s chief security expert explained. Owners of Apple machines may not be used the idea of dealing with nasty viruses as often as Windows fans. But let’s hope Apple will be more proactive next time around.