Troj/RKOSX-A was discovered – a Mac OS X tool to assist hackers create backdoor Trojans, which can give them access and control over your Apple Mac computer. In June, the OSX/Hovdy-A Trojan horse was discovered that could steal passwords from Mac OS X users, open the firewall to give access to hackers, and disable security settings. If accessed via an Apple Mac, surfers would be attacked by a piece of Macintosh scareware called MacSweeper.Ĭlose relatives of MacSweeper followed shortly afterwards, including Imunizator – another example of scareware for the Apple Mac, which claimed to find privacy issues on the user’s precious computer.
The Trojan posed as a codec to help users view pornographic videos, but in fact changes DNS server entries to direct surfers unwittingly to other websites.Ĭybercriminals targeted Mac and PC users in equal measure, by planting poisoned adverts on TV-related websites. The gang behind the attacks developed both Windows and Mac versions of their OSX/RSPlug-A Trojan horse.
The first financial malware for Mac was discovered. The BadBunny worm dropped Ruby script viruses on Mac OS X systems, and displayed an indecent JPEG image of a man wearing a rabbit costume. Sophos discovered an OpenOffice multi-platform macro worm capable of running on Windows, Linux and Mac computers. Every infected file contained the phrases The Inqtana worm and proof-of-concept virus soon followed.Ī buggy proof-of-concept virus called Macarena appeared, written in Xcode.
Leap-A, the first ever virus for Mac OS X was discovered.
Hackers also wrote a proof-of-concept program called Amphimix which demonstrated how executable code could be disguised as an MP3 music file on an Apple Mac. The Renepo script worm attempted to disable Mac OS X security, downloaded hacking tools to affected computers, and gave criminals admin rights to the Apple Macintosh. In the future, Mac-specific malware would have to be written with a new OS in mind. In the same year, Sevendust, also known as 666, infected applications on Apple Mac computers.īig changes to the Mac malware scene were just around the corner, however, with the release of Mac OS X – a whole new version of the operating system which would mean that much of the old malware would no longer be capable of running. A worm – dubbed AutoStart 9805 – spread rapidly in the desktop publishing community via removable media, using the CD-ROM AutoPlay feature of QuickTime 2.5+ĭavid Harley of Macvirus tells me that he remembers watching with interest as reports of Autostart spread from Asia to the rest of the world. It was in Hong Kong, in 1998, when the next significant Mac malware outbreak was first spotted. Mac users were unaffected by this new strain of macro virus until the release of Excel 98 for Mac meant they could become victims. Laroux, the first Excel virus, was released. Thousands of macro viruses followed, many affecting Microsoft Office for Mac.
Microsoft accidentally shipped the first ever Word macro virus, Concept, on CD ROM. The MDEF virus (aka Garfield) emerged, infecting application and system files on the Mac. One HyperCard virus showed the message “Dukakis for President” before self-destructing. HyperCard viruses emerged that could run on early versions of Apple’s Mac OS. Source code was later made available, causing a rash of variants. The nVIR virus began to infect Macs, spreading mainly by floppy disk. What may surprise some Apple fans is that the Elk Cloner boot sector virus predates IBM PC viruses by some years. On every 50th boot the Elk Cloner virus would display a short poem:Įlk Cloner: The program with a personality In 1982, 15-year-old student Rich Skrenta wrote the Elk Cloner virus, capable of infecting the boot sector of Apple II computers. The first virus to affect Apple computers wasn’t written for the Macintosh (that iconic computer wasn’t set to appear until 1984) but is of historic interest none the less. From the early 1980s, right up until the present day, here are some of the highlights in the history of Apple Mac malware. To help some of the discussions, here’s a brief overview of some of the malware we have seen infecting Apple computers. It’s clearly an emotive subject, with strongly held views on both sides. There’s been a lot of discussion in the media recently about the threat that malware poses on the Mac OS X platform. Since this article was first published we have released a revised and more complete history of Mac malware.