The fiction that Mac computers are nearly malware free was shattered last week when Doctor Web announced they had discovered a botnet that covered over 500,000 Mac-based PCs. The botnet"s computers were infected with a malware called "Backdoor.Flashback" that redirects the PC to view websites likely set up by the people who created the malware.
Now Apple has announced it will be taking action to get rid of the Flashback malware. In a post on the company"s support page, Apple stated, "Apple is developing software that will detect and remove the Flashback malware." There"s no word on when this software will be released.
The malware was installed thanks to a flaw that allowed JavaScript code to load to a Java applet that contained Flashback to a Mac PC. Apple states in their support page they have fixed this flaw in an update released on April 3rd for Mac OS X 10.7 and 10.6. If you still have a Mac that"s running OS X 10.5 or below, Apple says you should disable Java on your web browser.
The support pages adds:
In addition to the Java vulnerability, the Flashback malware relies on computer servers hosted by the malware authors to perform many of its critical functions. Apple is working with ISPs worldwide to disable this command and control network.
Meanwhile a post on the Symantec web site says that the number of Mac PCs that have been infected with the malware has gone down to 270,000, almost half the number revealed last week.