{"id":6878,"date":"2016-03-09T04:23:29","date_gmt":"2016-03-09T09:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kasperskydaily.com\/uk\/?p=6878"},"modified":"2020-02-26T15:11:49","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T15:11:49","slug":"wait-my-mac-can-be-infected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wait-my-mac-can-be-infected\/6878\/","title":{"rendered":"Wait, my Mac can be infected?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you believe it? If so, I hate to break it to you, but the statement is nothing but a big ol\u2019 myth. <a href=\"https:\/\/securelist.com\/analysis\/36081\/2005-nix-malware-evolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">As early as 2005<\/a>, Kaspersky Lab\u2019s GReAT reported on vulnerabilities and exploits to Macs.<\/p>\n<p>At last week\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/tag\/rsac2016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RSA conference<\/a>, I sat in a session that covered hacking a Mac. The theory behind this presentation was that an assailant could hack into a Mac given the practice of installing software that did not come from a trusted store or official App Store. This bit of social engineering plays into the ego of the \u201cuber-savvy\u201d Mac user.<\/p>\n<p>The exploit could come in the form of a spoofed email, file share or any other method commonly used to lure in PC users. While this was just a proof of concept, seeing it in action only means that unlike the myth, this is a plausible scenario.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/KeRanger?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#KeRanger<\/a> OS X <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ransomware?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#ransomware<\/a> impact likely mitigated via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/threatpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@threatpost<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RbFa12KOFA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/RbFa12KOFA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PqMKG9HLDr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/PqMKG9HLDr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/706917978751766529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">March 7, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>If you followed the news yesterday, you probably heard that ransomware has now made its way onto Macs. While it is said that <a href=\"https:\/\/threatpost.com\/keranger-os-x-ransomware-impact-likely-mitigated\/116612\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">KeRanger could be short lived<\/a>, it is still an alarming piece of news. Ransomware is currently a plague on the Internet and has impacted individuals and businesses alike.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6880\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/86\/2016\/03\/05194118\/Mac_Malware.png\" alt=\"Mac_Malware\" width=\"1024\" height=\"776\"><\/p>\n<p>The problem is that if a user has not backed up their files on a regular basis, there are some who will pay to get their digital artifacts back. We do not suggest paying criminals, but sometimes people don\u2019t have a choice. There was even a <a href=\"https:\/\/threatpost.com\/hollywood-hospital-pays-17k-ransom-to-decrypt-files\/116325\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">hospital that recently ponied up the ransom money<\/a> to unlock their files. Given that Mac users are typically profiled as better off, you could potentially see attackers target the platform with more of a premium ransom in the future.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">10 tips to protect your files from ransomware <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/o0IpUU9CHb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/o0IpUU9CHb<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iteducation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#iteducation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/I47sPIiWFF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/I47sPIiWFF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/671348678607642624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">November 30, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We won\u2019t blame you if you were one of the people who believed the myth of the super-secure Mac. We blame the Internet and the media for building up the hype. As well as old Apple ads, like this one:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sdF5IsyOxU4?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Overall, given the mainstream media attention, we sincerely hope that this has raised at least some distrust to this longstanding myth and hopefully will help put it to bed.<\/p>\n<p>If you are one of the folks who are possibly thinking \u201cOK, now how can I keep my expensive machine from Apple safe,\u201d fear not \u2013 we\u2019ve got you covered.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the easiest first step for you to take is to only install applications from the App Store and verified sites. As mentioned in the example from RSA, a spoof app can get you into some trouble.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Don't forget to protect your Mac. As well as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iPhone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#iPhone<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iPad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#iPad<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/mac?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#mac<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/apple?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#apple<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/security?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#security<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/guhxOctUod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">http:\/\/t.co\/guhxOctUod<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f6N9ieSWpE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/f6N9ieSWpE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/534654843244511232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">November 18, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The second step is to install some type of anti-virus protection for your Mac like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/advert\/mac-security?redef=1&amp;THRU&amp;reseller=gb_kdaily_leg_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_lnk_______\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But hey, should you decide to forego security measures, don\u2019t say that we didn\u2019t warn you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While the popular notion is that Macs are virus-proof, it is actually quite a myth. These computers can catch viruses and Ransomware.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":636,"featured_media":6879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7,9],"tags":[1350,34,1349,982,1344],"class_list":{"0":"post-6878","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-products","9":"category-tips","10":"tag-kis-for-mac","11":"tag-mac","12":"tag-mac-virus","13":"tag-rsac","14":"tag-rsac2016"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wait-my-mac-can-be-infected\/6878\/"},{"hreflang":"en-in","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/wait-my-mac-can-be-infected\/5764\/"},{"hreflang":"zh","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.cn\/blog\/wait-my-mac-can-be-infected\/4006\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/tag\/kis-for-mac\/","name":"KIS for Mac"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/636"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6878"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19268,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6878\/revisions\/19268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}