Last week, a new piece of OS X malware was discovered. Mac.BackDoor.iWorm, or “iWorm,” at that time had infected approximately 18,000 Macs around the world. The malware opened a back door in OS X that could let hackers steal data or use infected computers in denial of service attacks on other servers.
MacRumors reports that Apple has now updated its “Xprotect” anti-malware system to identify two different variants of the iWorm malware and prevent them from being installed on a Mac.
Xprotect, first introduced in OS X Snow Leopard, is a basic anti-malware system that detects and alerts users to the presence of various strains of malware. A Mac that has OS X Snow Leopard or higher installed will automatically check for new anti-malware updates daily. Xprotect is also used by Apple to force users to use a minimum version of plugins, such as Flash Player, to ensure users are protected from security risks of older versions.
The Safe Mac writes that one way the iWorm malware is introduced onto a user’s machine is via pirated copies of popular software packages, such as Adobe Photoshop CC 2014. The site found the iWorm malware installed upon a test computer once a pirated version of CC 2014 had been installed. So, once again, another malware threat looks to be easy to avoid if you practice safe computing.
