Is Your Mac Infected With a Virus?

Say it ain’t so? Apple computers infected with a virus? But that never happens, right? It’s one of the reasons you went Mac instead of Windows.

Yes, virus writers do write viruses for Macs. It does happen.

You need to believe us; just because rumor on the street is that Macs are immune from viruses and malware, doesn’t mean it is true. You’ll see MORE viruses out there affecting Windows, that’s true, but virus writers are well aware that more and more people are going Mac these days, and they’re plotting to take advantage of that fact.

There is a new type of malware that specifically hits the Apple Mac OS X platform.

A new botnet targeting Mac OS X computers is using a great new technique to spread and infect Macs. A recent stat claims that approximately 18,500 Apple computers have been infected with this new malware strain.

iWorm is a complex multi-purpose backdoor malware that cybercriminals can use to send instructions to a wide-range of Macs to carry out specific it nasty duties.

According to industry experts, iWorm makes extensive use of encryption during its journey. It has the ability to figure out what software is installed on the machine it infects, and it sends back information about the computer itself. It also opens a port on the computers and has the ability to download files, relay traffic, and send out queries to web servers acquiring all sorts of relative information. Your Mac has essentially become a zombie, dancing to the tune of a cybercriminal.

Are you infected?

Thankfully, Apple has quickly addressed the iWorm problem by updating its Xprotect software to protect against iWorm. Xprotect is the anti-virus software that comes automatically installed with every Mac. If you’ve done a software update recently, you should be okay.

How do you find out for sure?

1. Open Finder on your Mac and select GO | GO TO FOLDER.
2. When the GO TO FOLDER window appears, enter this folder address:

/Library/Application Support/JavaW

3. CLICK THE GO BUTTON.

If Finder comes back with a message stating that the folder cannot be found: congratulations, you are in the clear!

If the folder is found, you have a problem. At this point, you should immediately run a software update:

1. Click the Apple symbol at the top left of your menu bar.
2. Click SOFTWARE UPDATE.
3. The application will check for new software from Apple. This covers a variety of applications installed by Apple, and (most importantly) carries updates for your operating system. That’s what you’re looking for here.

If the application tells you that there are updates to install, allow it to work. Once it’s finished and you’ve restarted your computer, go back and check for the iWorm problem again. If you still find the folder, call us immediately.

Apple devices and Mac computers carry the same security risks as Windows computers. Your Mac is not immune to viruses, no matter what you may have heard! You need to have the proper level of protection to ensure your business information is secured and your Apple products are running efficiently.

We can help. As your trusted experts with all your business computing, we can help make sure your network is 100% protected and that malware and viruses such as iWorm do not impact your business. We encourage you to book your free technology security review with our team of Information Systems security experts today.

Call (613) 828-1384 or drop us an email at info@fuellednetworks.com to book your review with Fuelled Networks, your trusted information systems support experts in Ottawa.