Apr 12, 2012 Update: Apple has released the removal tool, for systems running Mac OSX 10.6 and 10.7. Users of systems running earlier versions of Mac OS X are advised to disable Java. The Flashback Malware Threat And Java by Graham Needham (BH) on 10th April 2012 The recent Flashback trojan that targeted an unpatched (now patched for Mac OS X 10.6 and later) security hole in Java (Java Runtime Edition - JRE) has caused a lot of fuss and a lot of misinformation so I thought it wise to write this blog piece.
Apple on Friday released version 1.0 of its 'Flashback malware removal tool' which will scan a user's computer and erase known iterations of the trojan that some are calling the worst the Mac platform has ever seen.
The standalone program is meant to be used by Mac users who don't have Java already installed on their machines and includes the same code as yesterday's software update that plugged a security hole which allowed the malware to automatically install itself without admin authorization.
About Flashback malware removal tool
This Flashback malware removal tool that will remove the most common variants of the Flashback malware.
If the Flashback malware is found, a dialog will be presented notifying the user that malware was removed.
In some cases, the Flashback malware removal tool may need to restart your computer in order to completely remove the Flashback malware.
This update is recommended for all OS X Lion users without Java installed.
At one point, a reported 600,000 Macs worldwide were part of the Flashback botnet, which harvested personal information and web browsing logs from affected machines. Apple was slow to release a patch for the exploit, but managed to roll out two updates within the past week.
The notorious trojan was first discovered last year by a security firm, tricking users into installing it under the guise of an Adobe Flash installer. The most recent version bypasses any user action and automatically installs itself after an affected website is visited.
Apple's Flashback removal tool comes in at 356KB and can be downloaded here. In order to use the software, a user's Mac must be running OS X Lion without Java installed.
Flashback Malware Removal Tool For Mac Os X 10.6 80 6 8 Download Free
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