Security Experts: Intego spread FUD to sell software

Security experts on Friday slammed security firm Intego for exaggerating the threat of what the company identified as the first Trojan for Mac OS X.

On Thursday, Intego issued a press release saying it had found OS X's first Trojan Horse, a piece of malware called MP3Concept or MP3Virus.Gen that appears to be an MP3 file. If double-clicked and launched in the Finder, the Trojan accesses certain system files, the company claimed.

While Intego said the Trojan was benign, it said future versions could be authored to delete files or hijack infected machines. In the release, and in subsequent telephone interviews, Intego was vague about the purported Trojan's workings and its origins.

On Friday, Mac programmers and security experts accused the company of exaggerating the threat to sell its security software.

"They gave the impression that this is a threat, but it isn't," said Dave Schroeder, a systems engineer with the University of Wisconsin. "It is a benign proof of concept that was posted to a newsgroup. It isn't in the wild, and can't be spread in the wild. It's a non-issue."

"They are spreading FUD to sell their software," said Ryan Kaldari, a programmer from Nashville, Tennessee, referring to the shorthand for fear, uncertainty and doubt.

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