Hackers Have Found a Flaw in Macs and Are Using it to Control 17,000 Apple Computers

Criminals Have Discovered a Flaw in OS X, the Mac Operating System and are Using it to Control Thousands of Apple Computers Around the World. The Russian Security Company, Dr. Web, 1st Discovered the Software, Known as "Mac.BackDoor.iWorm". We Don't Yet Know How the Software Spreads but, Dr. Web has Released Information on the Clever Way it Connects to the Criminals Who Control the Program. When a Mac is Infected with "Mac.BackDoor.iWorm", the Program Tries to Make a Connection to a Command Server. The "iWorm" Reportedly Uses Reddit's Search Function to Find Comments Left by the Criminals in a Minecraft Discussion Section of the Website. (Minecraft is the Block-Building VideoGame Published by Independent Publisher, Mojang, which Microsoft Purchased for $2.5 Billion in September.)


After "iWorm" Finds the Reddit Comments, it Attempts to Connect to the Server Addresses Listed in the Minecraft Subreddit. Once Connected, Criminals Can Send Commands to their "Botnet" of Infected Computers. Botnets are Often Used to Send Spam Emails, Mine Bitcoin, or Flood Websites with Traffic that eventually Crashes them. It Doesn't Seem Like the Infected Computers are currently Being Used for any Attack so, the Criminals behind "iWorm" are probably Only Growing the Network for Now. Dr. Web has Published the Number of Computers that, it Believes Have been Affected by "iWorm". As of Last Friday, 17,658 Infected Mac Computers Have been Discovered, with 4,610 of them in the US.




Info Source:

http://news.drweb.com/show/?i=5976&lng=en