Here are five steps that are recommended to keep your Mac (and PC) computers safe. Find it here at ZDNet. Thanks to David Passell for sending this today.
Got the Latest Update?
Here's an article describing how you can tell (maybe) if you've got the latest malware definition update from Apple. Jim Hamm comments, "A convoluted method, at best. It would be very helpful if Apple would notify people immediately when an update is available. Maybe if they read this article, they will."
Apple Releases Security Update Today
Alerted first by a PCmagazine article, the official info comes from this Apple Support site. The security update 2011-003 is 2.1 MB and takes less than 2 minutes to download. It was released earlier today, May 31, for OS X v. 10.6.7.
What do you know? David Passell writes to brag that his update took less than a minute!
More About: Keep in Mind About Your Computer Security . . .
A good reminder comes from Allen Laudenslager. He sends this CNN article, declaring that it might help give a little clarity on the MacDefender malware issue. The article, entitled, "New Malware Revives Mac vs. Windows Security Debate" states that Microsoft recently pointed out that 1 in 14 downloads on Windows are malicious. And the fact that there is just one piece of Mac malware being widely discussed illustrates how rare malware still is on the Mac platform. The writer concludes, " . . . the moral of this story is to be wary that Mac malware is in the wild, and be cautious about installing sketchy software from unfamiliar sources."
This evening several news reports discuss the malware. AppleInsider, states that Apple will release an update to Mac OS X to automatically find and remove the malware. The article concludes, "The scam site is also unable to install the malware without the user supplying an administrative password. Even so, hundreds of users have been duped by the scam, although the outbreak appears to be more of a nagware annoyance than a serious security problem."
First thing this morning, (5-25) Allen passes on this Apple Support information which lists the authorized steps to take to remove the malware if you happen to inadvertently download it. Once the Mac OS X software update is here we'll have "no more concern about the only widespread Mac malware that we have to worry about" because it will automatically find and remove the MacDefender malware and its known variants.
Joining in with helpful info now is Art Gorski, recommending this from MacWorld.
This afternoon (5-25) we found this in ComputerWorld: "Mac users running Safari can stop avRunner from automatically opening its installer screen by unchecking the box marked 'Open 'safe' files after downloading' at the bottom of the General tab in the browser's Preferences screen." Read the whole article.
Here's the 5-26 article from Computer World with more details.
What else are PMUG members saying about malware, security, anti-virus issues? On the right side of this newsblog scroll to the Labels list and look up those keywords, and any other keywords you're interested in researching. Our PMUG members do a good job of finding out -- and passing along -- all kinds of Mac information.
Stay Alert, With Reasonable Precautions
Eagle-eyed PMUG users keep us informed! Both Jim Hamm and Allen Laudenslager pass along some vital info. In other words, stay alert, with reasonable precautions!"Here is an article commenting about potential malware for Macs," begins Jim Hamm. The author makes some good points, and, as he notes, Macs are not immune to malware. As the Mac presence on the internet increases, we become more of an attractive target for malware. As Mr. Bott observes, every percentage point increase in Apple's share of Web traffic means about 10 million more potential customers for hackers. "This article isn't any cause for alarm, just something to be aware of. Anyone who uses a computer and surfs the net is potentially vulnerable to malware. We just need to be alert and exercise reasonable precautions," Jim summarizes the situation. More information is just in from Allen Laudenslager, "There has been a lot of news lately about Mac 'viruses' and malware, particularly something called Mac Defender*#% "First and most importantly, this is not a virus, it's a trojan horse. What it really does is fake you into downloading an app that reports a 'virus' and asks you to buy their software. The big con is to get your credit card information, not eat your data! I really liked this article for plain speak and clear explanations. I really liked Mac360's quote of Betteridge’s Law of Headlines: 'Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.' "A little common sense and a quick check of the internet will protect your Mac better than some 'anti-virus' software from an unknown source. "For the official Apple stand on viruses and malware, check here." And now it's Skype with problems. Apparently Skype users should have known about this since April 14 when an update for software was made available and publicized.