Apple Employees Denying Computer Virus

[MindBlast]

So I have a friend whose brother's Macbook got infected with one of those fake antivirus viruses. He brings it in to the Apple store, and the employee kept saying that Macs can't get computer viruses. Him and his brother kept insisting it did, and apparently Apple is aware of the virus, and the employee eventually admitted that they're not allowed to say that Macs can get viruses, or they'll be fired.

That's some serious shit. If I didn't already hate Apple, I hate them even more now. What a fucking joke.

10 years ago I never used to hate Apple. Now I do because of their almost fascist way of running things. First it was full control of all apps, then it was the condescension about iPhone problems, and now this.

I normally use open source stuff, and I'd never thought I'd see the day when I trusted Microsoft, of all companies, more than Apple (not that I trust either of them, but I feel Apple is much worse now).

 

[hotatlboi]

Heard the same thing recently, Apple advised their front line support people to not admit that anything was malware.

While it is true that it's rather rare to get malware on the Mac, this kind of thing is absolutely unacceptable and stupid imo.

I hope they seriously reconsider this policy.

 

[onetwothreefour]

I used to work for Apple as a contractor in their sales department. I made it very clear that Macs were not vulnerable to Windows viruses, but that no computer is 100% immune from viruses.

I do agree that Apple acts in strange ways. They do a lot of things really, really well, but some of their measures are draconian and strange.

 

[andysayshi]

Just to be clear, the MacDefender scareware is not, by definition, a virus. It's a type of malware, but it can't be spread to another computer, can't self-replicate, and doesn't effect any other files on your computer. A friend of mine brought me his iMac over the weekend. It's the very first Malware I've ever seen on a Mac, and I've administered hundreds of Macs over the past 10 years.

The user must actively install this malware, entering an Admin password twice for it all to happen. It then puts up annoying messages that your computer is infected and needs to be scanned. It has two effects: it's a nuisance; and it asks users to enter Credit Card details, which can obviously end up in bad hands.

Socially engineered malware like this is a problem for all computer platforms, because it tricks the user, not the OS. Ultimately, the user is the best protection against such scams. If you're surfing the web and something asks to be installed, be VERY wary, regardless of what computer platform you use. A Microsoft guy revealed in the past few weeks that 1 in 14 downloads to the Windows platform are malware. No computer user can afford to be complacent.

This problem is very easy to remove:

• Open Activity Monitor (Press Cmnd+Shift+U from Finder)
• Select all processes named "MacDefender", "MacProtector" or "MacSecurity" and Quit them.
• Delete the MacDefender application from the Applications folder, and empty the Trash.


While the action of the Apple guy in the OP is pretty shitty, Apple are only at fault if they're not being open about this malware. No other OS or hardware company offers free malware removal services, and Apple are simply avoiding setting a precedent.

If Apple aren't being honest about this malware, that's unacceptably bad policy. But otherwise, they're under no obligation to fix the problem on a case by case basis.

 

[Corny]

^ but would it hurt to tell them "this is malware, you got it through XY please don't enter your password etc, pp"? Just denying that there is obviously something wrong just makes their "geniuses" look like some silly marionettes.

But hey .. at least it's not a virus Also an "app store" obviously couldn't be a store that sells apps!

 

[andysayshi]

I said that.

If Apple aren't being honest about this malware, that's unacceptably bad policy.

To reiterate: if Apple aren't being honest acknowledging what is clearly a real and fairly widespread issue, they're severely letting their customers down. It's one of Apple's greatest flaws: their devout secrecy can be very problematic when things go wrong.

Apple need to pull their finger out and publicly acknowledge that this is the first MAJOR malware infection for their platform. Complacency will hurt their reputation, and their customers, in the long run.

I don't understand your App store comment?

 

[Corny]

see my sig. that's an official quote from apple that they use in a lawsuit where they try to stop others from using "app store" for a store that sells apps
in this context i wanted to imply that saying "this is no virus" to customers without a clue about the terminology doesn't help anybody.

anyway .. the denial that the machine got infected seems to be official policy:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/apple-to-support-reps-do-not-attempt-to-remove-malware/3362

 

[andysayshi]

See, as I said earlier, this is the WORST thing about Apple. They need new PR people or something. This will end badly for them because they're fucking their customers over by ignoring the reality: this is the moment that every Windows fan has been waiting for - a real, in-the-wild, significant malware issue for OS X.

I fully understand why they won't let their support people deal with it on a one-to-one basis. It would set a precedent that could spell disaster in the future. NO tech company offers universal malware removal support for their OS or hardware - not Microsoft, Dell, Toshiba, Sony etc. Some offer additional security measures, usually involving payment, but that's it.

But Apple are trying to suppress the issue by ignoring it, which is hurting their customers, and making them look stupid. I'm not defending them for a moment. Odds are, they'll um and ah about this for another two weeks before FINALLY addressing it with a one page document containing the same three steps I provided above.

But in those few weeks they'll irreparably damage their brand. That document should have been out 3 days ago. Te longer they wait, the more customers they piss off.

Re: the App Store thing - just legal bullshit. Most US Corporations are throwing crap like that at each other every day.

 

[Corny]

dell etc most have paid service. MS has a free scanner and a support hotline:

How to obtain computer virus and security-related support
For United States and Canada
The computer safety team is available for computer virus and for other security-related support 24 hours a day in the United States and in Canada.

To obtain computer virus and security-related support, follow these steps:
Before you contact a support engineer, make sure that you run updated antivirus software and updated spyware removal software on the infected computer.

For more information about how to obtain a free computer safety scan, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/ For more information about antispyware software, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/spyware/as.mspx
Call 1-866-PCSAFETY or call 1-866-727-2338 to contact security support.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/129972/en-us

I followed the link for international tech report and they redirected me to a german MS site where I was asked to download a diagnostic tools and then call their support. I couldn't find any mention of a cost for the support.

 

[MindBlast]

I knew nothing about the malware myself. I didn't know it wasn't a virus, but that's a terminology nitpick. Viruses, scareware, fork bombs, and all that kind of stuff are all malware.

 

[looseliam]

I'm gonna jump sides for a second and play devil's advocate:

1) I don't see this as a failure of their operating system. A user is duped into entering in credentials that give access to the system. I see this as someone clicking OK when UAC kicks-in on Windows - it's the result of the stupid user.

2) I don't think it's apple's responsibility to assist in removing such applications. Sure, MS has it's own software... now. But for many many years, the user had to source some way of removal.

I'd rather hear apple say "yep, this is malware. You clicked on something you shouldn't have. Find a way to remove it." But then we get into the whole appeal of apple products - no thought required. So without some hand-holding, or pretty flow chart, I don't see the bulk of users being able to remove the software.

Let's put it another way: Someone uses some additive in the gas tank and it causes some problem with the engine. Should the manufacturer be responsible for fixing the engine? Nope.

 

[GamerBear]

Man I'm losing faith in Apple every day. Just the simple fact they have to deny that a virus or trojan exists on their systems is just plain sad.

 

[Corny]

Let's put it another way: Someone uses some additive in the gas tank and it causes some problem with the engine. Should the manufacturer be responsible for fixing the engine? Nope.

Nope - but he shouldn't advertise his engine to be indestructible, even when used by stupid users. And when the customer takes the broken engine to the manufacturer his reply should not be "this engine may or may not be broken" but "yeah, you broke it. we could fix it for you, but this is not covered by our warranty."

 

[seven2go]

See, as I said earlier, this is the WORST thing about Apple. They need new PR people or something.
But Apple are trying to suppress the issue by ignoring it, which is hurting their customers, and making them look stupid.

Impossible........Apple could piss in the faces of their Mac and iFans and they'd love it.......

 

[JB3]

Nope - but he shouldn't advertise his engine to be indestructible, even when used by stupid users. And when the customer takes the broken engine to the manufacturer his reply should not be "this engine may or may not be broken" but "yeah, you broke it. we could fix it for you, but this is not covered by our warranty."

Except apple doesn't advertise it. Nowhere on Apple's page for OSX does it say that the OS is virus proof. As a matter of fact it says exactly the opposite:

Security Advice

The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box. However, since no system can be 100 percent immune from every threat, antivirus software may offer additional protection.

And they even warn people about downloading these applications:

Here are some other ways to help keep your information as safe as possible:

Download files only from known and trusted websites.
Use FileVault to encrypt your most important documents.
Control access to your Mac by locking your screen after a period of inactivity.
Securely delete outdated sensitive files with the Secure Empty Trash command.

The only time Apple says the mac can't get viruses is in reference to PC viruses, which is an absolutely true claim:

Mac OS X doesn’t get PC viruses. And its built-in defenses help keep you safe from other malware without the hassle of constant alerts and sweeps.

 

[Corny]

"And its built-in defenses help keep you safe from other malware"

 

[vforvendetta]

As Apple continues to gain popularity and a large install base, an increasing number of hackers/crackers are going to end up targeting their OS with malware. If you really want to avoid malware, pick up an off-flavor of linux (although the disadvantages, especially inability to play many games, has been an inhibiting factor in me changing operating systems personally).

 

[andysayshi]

Finally, official recognition of MacDefender malware from Apple:

A recent phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them that their computer is infected with a virus. The user is then offered Mac Defender "anti-virus" software to solve the issue.

This “anti-virus” software is malware (i.e. malicious software). Its ultimate goal is to get the user's credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes.

The most common names for this malware are MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity.

In the coming days, Apple will deliver a Mac OS X software update that will automatically find and remove Mac Defender malware and its known variants. The update will also help protect users by providing an explicit warning if they download this malware.

In the meantime, the Resolution section below provides step-by-step instructions on how to avoid or manually remove this malware.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4650

"Coming days" is pretty poor form - it should have been out a week ago! Better late than never, I guess.

 

[maxpowr9]

Finally, official recognition of MacDefender malware from Apple:



http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4650

"Coming days" is pretty poor form - it should have been out a week ago! Better late than never, I guess.

As Apple becomes more and more popular; viruses, trojans, worms and malware specifically targeting Macs will come faster and more complex than Apple will know what to do. Such is the price of growth. Better to address this problem now than to be woefully ignorant that their PCs are "immune" to those things.

 

[foodandart]

Finally, official recognition of MacDefender malware from Apple:



http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4650

"Coming days" is pretty poor form - it should have been out a week ago! Better late than never, I guess.

From what I hear, the IP address of this thing, and the resultant credit-card info page originate from the Persian Gulf. My Mac tech friend tells his customers that call in about this, to Google the removal, but to NOT pay the fee, as it's going to Al-Qaeda.. Stops them in their tracks!

Now the one that got ME many years ago, was The Codec Pack That Wasn't. I installed it and ended up with an address in my DNS panel that sent me to a porn-spam site! It wasn't even GOOD porn! Booo!