Just this week came news of DYLDPRINTTOFILE — a bug in Apple's OS X operating system that has allowed a malicious program to take complete control of Macs. Apple has known of the flaw for a. At least sixteen Mac models running a supported Apple OS have never received any EFI firmware updates. The most vulnerable model is the 21.5' iMac, released in late 2015.
- Cactus Attack Mac Os X
- Cactus Attack Mac Os Catalina
- Cactus Attack Mac Os 11
- Cactus Attack Mac Os Download
- Truth be told, Cactus-search.com Virus is a browser hijacker. In spite of the fact that it is outlined in light of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, it could likewise infect Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Safari.
- The software flaw allowed attackers to create a malicious application that could masquerade as a document, TechCrunch reported Monday. Security researcher Cedric Owens first discovered the bug in.
The cactus is a succulent plant, well adapted to long droughts. The cactus is part of the Cactaceae family, most of the species from this family originated from America. The leaves of these plants have turned into thorns to reduce the water's evapotranspiration and to protect itself from animals. The cactuses sustain the photosynthesis process with their thickened stems, where they store large quantities of water. All the cactus species produce flowers and seeds. Most of the species bloom at night and are pollinated by butterflies or by bats.
Cactus Attack Mac Os X
Main diseases
Virosis:
Cactus Mosaic Virus:
This virus' attack is represented by diffuse, yellow colored spots. The spots combined with the healthy tissues makes the plant get a mosaic aspect. The plants will look deformed as the affected tissues will grow irregularly. As the disease evolves, the spots marry, therefore, large areas of a mosaic aspect will be clearly visible. If the attack is severe, the mosaic areas turn brown, the tissues die and the plant no longer produces flowers. The virus is transmitted from one plant to another by aphids or by people performing maintenance work. The evolution of this disease prefers high humidity, low temperatures and light.
Prevention and control measures:
- Controlling the aphid population;
- Using a healthy breeding vegetative material;
- Disinfecting the agricultural tools with rubbing alcohol or with formaldehyde;
- The affected plants need to be separated from the healthy ones and if they will not recover in a few days, they will have to be burned;
Bacteriosis:
Bacterial Soft Rot (Erwinia):
Brown, differently sized spots appear on the stem. As the disease evolves, the brown tissues become softer. If no actions are taken, the brown tissues turn into a gooey, foul smelling liquid.
Prevention and control measures:
- During the first stage of the disease, the affected areas are to be taken out and treated with Captan, Copernico Hi-Bio, Champ, Zeama bordeleza, Melody compact;
- If the disease is advanced, the affected plants are to be taken out alongside some of the healthy plants in order to minimize the risk of the disease attacking the veins of the plants. The wounds caused are to be disinfected with Captan, Copernico Hi-Bio, Champ, Zeama bordeleza, Aliette;
- If the attack is severe, the affected plants need to be burned;
Mycosis:
Foot Rot (Phytophthora): 5 minute dungeon mac os.
The symptoms of this disease are brown, wet spots. Next to these spots, the tissues become deepening and rot. The disease grows very quick and if no treatments are applied, the entire plant rots and becomes covered with a white fluff. This disease prefers a high humidity and temperature environment. Besides these symptoms, the fungus can also attack the base of the plant. Therefore, brown areas can be seen on the base of the plant. The disease extends fast and the whole plant is destroyed.
Prevention and control measures: Cursed gold mac os.
- Avoiding excess watering;
- Airing the spaces where the cactuses are being grown;
- Exposing the plants to sunlight;
- Removing the affected tissues and applying fungicides to disinfect the area. Example of products to be used: Dithane, Acrobat, Drago, Zeama bordeleza, Aliette;
Phyllosticta Pad Spot on Cactus (Phyllosticta opinticola):
The symptoms of this disease are irregularly shaped, gray spots. As the disease evolves, the spots become darker, eventually turning black. Next to these spots circular dots appear, which represent the fungus' fruition. This disease prefers a high humidity and temperature environment.
Prevention and control measures:
- Destroying the affected plants;
- Maintaining a constant temperature;
- Airing the spaces used for cactus growth;
- Chemical treatment, using Dithane, Acrobat, Drago, Zeama bordeleza, Aliette;
Cactus Stem Spot (Phoma cereicola):
This disease is recognizable as spots of different sizes grow on the plant. These spots are proeminent, of a yellow, dark brown color. The spots can either be isolated or can cover up large surfaces of the plant. On the surface of these spots black dot like formations grow, which represent the fungus' fruition. This fungus is transmitted by seeds.
Prevention and control measures:
- The severely affected plants need to be destroyed;
- The seeds need to be sprayed with a Zeama Bordeleza 1% solution;
Phomopsis Dieback (Phomopsis cacti): Laundromatt mac os.
The attack of this fungus is represented by spots of different shapes which appear of the stems. The affected tissues are deepened and either yellow or white colored. Most of the times, the epidermis of the affected areas is cracked. Next to these spots, brown to black colored, circular formations grow, which represent the fungus' fruition. This fungus is carried by the seeds.
Prevention and control measures:
- The severely affected plants need to be destroyed;
- The seeds need to be sprayed with a Zeama Bordeleza 1% solution;
Stem Spot (Coniothyrium opuntiae):
This mycosis' attack is represented by large, circular, yellow colored spots which can be visible. Next to these spots, the fungus' fruition grows in the form of dot like formations arranged in concentric circles. This infection affected only the plants which have been weakened by other factors.
Prevention and control measures:
- Applying: Captan, Dithane, Aliette, Merpan;
Rot of Opuntia caused by Diplodia (Diplodia opuntiae):
The attack is represented by circular or oval shaped, brown to gray colored spots which appear. As the disease evolves, the spots marry and cover a large surface of the stem. The affected tissues wilt and turn white. The epidermis from the affected areas becomes wrinkled and exfoliates. On the surface of the affected areas small, circular, black colored formations appear, which represent the fungus' fruition.
Prevention and control measures:
Cactus Attack Mac Os Catalina
- Severely affected plants need to be destroyed;
- If the attack is at an initial stage, the following products need to be applied: Captan, Dithane, Aliette, Merpan;
Anthracnose (Gloeosporium):
Black, circular or irregularly shaped spots can be seen on the stems of the cactuses. As the disease evolves, the spots marry and grow black, small protrudings which represent the fungus' fruition. The affected tissues wilt, the plants no longer vegetate normally. Besides the direct damages caused by Anthracnose, this disease favors the growth of the Alternaria fungus which emphasizes the tissue destruction.
Prevention and control measures:
- The plants will be carefully looked after, to avoid any injuries;
- The severely affected plants will be burned;
- Watering the plants will be done carefully;
- If the disease is at an incipient stage, the following products can be used: Topsin, Ortiva, Universalis, Score, Bravo;
Cactus Attack Mac Os 11
Fusarium Rot in Cactus (Fusarium):
The attack starts at the base of the plant and slowly affects all the organs from the plant's shoot system. As the disease evolves, the plant turns gray, the stem wrinkles and then rots. The disease affects the veins, blocking the sap circulation throughout the plant. Therefore, the water and mineral elements supply is defective and the plants are weak.
Prevention and control measures:
- Using a healthy vegetative material (cuttings);
- Disinfecting the pots and the tools;
- Rational watering;
- Airing the spaces where the plants are being kept;
- If the plants have signs of an incipient infection, the Topsin fungicide can be applied. A mixture of Topsin 0.1% and water is prepared and the soil around the plants is watered;
The cactuses have symptoms which are similar to the symptoms produced by pathogens, but the following are caused by the main physical factors. These play a crucial part in the growth and development of the Cactaceae plants. The most common non-infectious diseases are:
Low temperature effects:
The cactuses are warmth loving plants; therefore, they cannot stand low temperatures. Some cactus species can withstand mild freezes, with the condition that the temperatures decrease slowly. The plants adapt their metabolism and can withstand below 0 temperatures. After it freezes, the entire plant can turn into a viscous mass.
Sun burns:
The plants belonging to the Cactaceae family are resilient to severe heatstrokes and they can be affected by sunburns only is they have been kept in shadowy placed for a long time. Due to this, the plants which have been kept in shadowy places will have to be gradually exposed to sunlight. The plants will recover from minor sunburns if they will be immediately put back to shadowy places. If the cactuses have been severely affected by sunburns, the epidermis is destroyed. In order to save the affected cactuses, the affected areas must be cut off.
Cactus Attack Mac Os Download
Lack of nutrients:
Balanced fertilization is an important step in planting and taking care of cactuses. This is why the compost needs to contain both macro and micro-elements. For example, only if nitrogen compost is used, the vegetative mass will lushly flourish, but the plant will be less resilient to diseases and pests.
Excessive watering:
In the regions of origin, these plants can live without water for long periods of time. Excessive watering can lead to soaking and rotting of the plants. This phenomenon is caused physiological rotting. On the other hand, watering the plants when they have open wounds is forbidden. After certain parts of the plants have been removed, the resulted wounds need time to heal up. If water is applied to those wounds, the wounds will heal up slowly or the area can begin to rot.
Main pests
The Cactus Cyst Nematode (Heterodera Cacti):
This pest spends the winter as an adult inside the soil's superficial layer. The eggs hatch during spring and the larvae move in the soil and settle on the cactuses' roots. The larvae feed by stinging the cactus roots, causing physiological disorders. The wounds created by this pest can help other pathogens get inside the plant.
Prevention:
- Plating only healthy species;
- Disinfecting the seedbed and the pot where the cactus will be planted, using: Basamid;
Twospotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae):
This pest spends the winter as an impregnated female inside the bark's cracks, under the residues from the surface of the soil, but in confined spaces it carries out its biological cycle uninterruptedly. The females form a specific web which surrounds the stem and then they start laying the eggs. Both the larvae and the adults sting and suck the plant's cellular juice. After the attack, the plant's development is slowed down. This insect can carry many other diseases.
Prevention:
- Chemical treatments, using: Nissorum 10 WP, Envidor 240 SC, Milbeknock, Vertimec 1.8 EC;
Greenhouse Firefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum):
The adults' bodies are covered by a white, waxy and dusty substance. This pest causes significant damage inside sheltered spaces. Both the adult and the larvae feed on the plant's cellular juice, causing disorder in the plant's physiological processes. If the attack is severe, the plants can become completely dry.
Prevention:
- Chemical treatments, using Decis Mega, Actara 25 WGConfidor Energy, Mospilan 20 SG Movento 100 SC;
Cactus Scale (Diaspis echinocact):
This is the main pest of the plants which grow outside and those which grow inside sheltered spaces. Both the adults and the larvae colonize the plant's shoot system. They feed on the cellular juice and after the attack, the cactuses stop their normal growth and begin to become dry.
Prevention:
- Applying Mospilan 20 SG, Nuprid AL 200 SC, Decis Mega EW 50, Calypso 480 SC, Faster 10 CE;
Green Peach Aphid (Myzus persicae):
This is a very dangerous pest. It is a polyphagous species which attacks numerous plant species. The attack of this pest is represented by a colonization of the plant's shoot system. Both the adults and the larvae feed on the plant's cellular juice. After the attack, the cactuses no longer grow and they begin to wilt.
Prevention:
- Applying Mospilan 20 SG, Actara 25 WG, Karate Zeon 50 CS, Confidor Energy, Decis Mega EW 50;
Woolly Apple Aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum):
It grows many generations per year and is colonizes the cactuses' shoot system. Both the adults and the larvae feed on the plant's cellular juice. After the attack, the tissues become atrophied and eventually wilt.
Prevention:
- Chemical treatments, using Mospilan, Actara, Decis Mega, Confidor Energy, Actellic 50 EC;
- Controlling the aphid population;
- Using a healthy breeding vegetative material;
- Disinfecting the agricultural tools with rubbing alcohol or with formaldehyde;
- The affected plants need to be separated from the healthy ones and if they will not recover in a few days, they will have to be burned;
Bacteriosis:
Bacterial Soft Rot (Erwinia):
Brown, differently sized spots appear on the stem. As the disease evolves, the brown tissues become softer. If no actions are taken, the brown tissues turn into a gooey, foul smelling liquid.
Prevention and control measures:
- During the first stage of the disease, the affected areas are to be taken out and treated with Captan, Copernico Hi-Bio, Champ, Zeama bordeleza, Melody compact;
- If the disease is advanced, the affected plants are to be taken out alongside some of the healthy plants in order to minimize the risk of the disease attacking the veins of the plants. The wounds caused are to be disinfected with Captan, Copernico Hi-Bio, Champ, Zeama bordeleza, Aliette;
- If the attack is severe, the affected plants need to be burned;
Mycosis:
Foot Rot (Phytophthora): 5 minute dungeon mac os.
The symptoms of this disease are brown, wet spots. Next to these spots, the tissues become deepening and rot. The disease grows very quick and if no treatments are applied, the entire plant rots and becomes covered with a white fluff. This disease prefers a high humidity and temperature environment. Besides these symptoms, the fungus can also attack the base of the plant. Therefore, brown areas can be seen on the base of the plant. The disease extends fast and the whole plant is destroyed.
Prevention and control measures: Cursed gold mac os.
- Avoiding excess watering;
- Airing the spaces where the cactuses are being grown;
- Exposing the plants to sunlight;
- Removing the affected tissues and applying fungicides to disinfect the area. Example of products to be used: Dithane, Acrobat, Drago, Zeama bordeleza, Aliette;
Phyllosticta Pad Spot on Cactus (Phyllosticta opinticola):
The symptoms of this disease are irregularly shaped, gray spots. As the disease evolves, the spots become darker, eventually turning black. Next to these spots circular dots appear, which represent the fungus' fruition. This disease prefers a high humidity and temperature environment.
Prevention and control measures:
- Destroying the affected plants;
- Maintaining a constant temperature;
- Airing the spaces used for cactus growth;
- Chemical treatment, using Dithane, Acrobat, Drago, Zeama bordeleza, Aliette;
Cactus Stem Spot (Phoma cereicola):
This disease is recognizable as spots of different sizes grow on the plant. These spots are proeminent, of a yellow, dark brown color. The spots can either be isolated or can cover up large surfaces of the plant. On the surface of these spots black dot like formations grow, which represent the fungus' fruition. This fungus is transmitted by seeds.
Prevention and control measures:
- The severely affected plants need to be destroyed;
- The seeds need to be sprayed with a Zeama Bordeleza 1% solution;
Phomopsis Dieback (Phomopsis cacti): Laundromatt mac os.
The attack of this fungus is represented by spots of different shapes which appear of the stems. The affected tissues are deepened and either yellow or white colored. Most of the times, the epidermis of the affected areas is cracked. Next to these spots, brown to black colored, circular formations grow, which represent the fungus' fruition. This fungus is carried by the seeds.
Prevention and control measures:
- The severely affected plants need to be destroyed;
- The seeds need to be sprayed with a Zeama Bordeleza 1% solution;
Stem Spot (Coniothyrium opuntiae):
This mycosis' attack is represented by large, circular, yellow colored spots which can be visible. Next to these spots, the fungus' fruition grows in the form of dot like formations arranged in concentric circles. This infection affected only the plants which have been weakened by other factors.
Prevention and control measures:
- Applying: Captan, Dithane, Aliette, Merpan;
Rot of Opuntia caused by Diplodia (Diplodia opuntiae):
The attack is represented by circular or oval shaped, brown to gray colored spots which appear. As the disease evolves, the spots marry and cover a large surface of the stem. The affected tissues wilt and turn white. The epidermis from the affected areas becomes wrinkled and exfoliates. On the surface of the affected areas small, circular, black colored formations appear, which represent the fungus' fruition.
Prevention and control measures:
Cactus Attack Mac Os Catalina
- Severely affected plants need to be destroyed;
- If the attack is at an initial stage, the following products need to be applied: Captan, Dithane, Aliette, Merpan;
Anthracnose (Gloeosporium):
Black, circular or irregularly shaped spots can be seen on the stems of the cactuses. As the disease evolves, the spots marry and grow black, small protrudings which represent the fungus' fruition. The affected tissues wilt, the plants no longer vegetate normally. Besides the direct damages caused by Anthracnose, this disease favors the growth of the Alternaria fungus which emphasizes the tissue destruction.
Prevention and control measures:
- The plants will be carefully looked after, to avoid any injuries;
- The severely affected plants will be burned;
- Watering the plants will be done carefully;
- If the disease is at an incipient stage, the following products can be used: Topsin, Ortiva, Universalis, Score, Bravo;
Cactus Attack Mac Os 11
Fusarium Rot in Cactus (Fusarium):
The attack starts at the base of the plant and slowly affects all the organs from the plant's shoot system. As the disease evolves, the plant turns gray, the stem wrinkles and then rots. The disease affects the veins, blocking the sap circulation throughout the plant. Therefore, the water and mineral elements supply is defective and the plants are weak.
Prevention and control measures:
- Using a healthy vegetative material (cuttings);
- Disinfecting the pots and the tools;
- Rational watering;
- Airing the spaces where the plants are being kept;
- If the plants have signs of an incipient infection, the Topsin fungicide can be applied. A mixture of Topsin 0.1% and water is prepared and the soil around the plants is watered;
The cactuses have symptoms which are similar to the symptoms produced by pathogens, but the following are caused by the main physical factors. These play a crucial part in the growth and development of the Cactaceae plants. The most common non-infectious diseases are:
Low temperature effects:
The cactuses are warmth loving plants; therefore, they cannot stand low temperatures. Some cactus species can withstand mild freezes, with the condition that the temperatures decrease slowly. The plants adapt their metabolism and can withstand below 0 temperatures. After it freezes, the entire plant can turn into a viscous mass.
Sun burns:
The plants belonging to the Cactaceae family are resilient to severe heatstrokes and they can be affected by sunburns only is they have been kept in shadowy placed for a long time. Due to this, the plants which have been kept in shadowy places will have to be gradually exposed to sunlight. The plants will recover from minor sunburns if they will be immediately put back to shadowy places. If the cactuses have been severely affected by sunburns, the epidermis is destroyed. In order to save the affected cactuses, the affected areas must be cut off.
Cactus Attack Mac Os Download
Lack of nutrients:
Balanced fertilization is an important step in planting and taking care of cactuses. This is why the compost needs to contain both macro and micro-elements. For example, only if nitrogen compost is used, the vegetative mass will lushly flourish, but the plant will be less resilient to diseases and pests.
Excessive watering:
In the regions of origin, these plants can live without water for long periods of time. Excessive watering can lead to soaking and rotting of the plants. This phenomenon is caused physiological rotting. On the other hand, watering the plants when they have open wounds is forbidden. After certain parts of the plants have been removed, the resulted wounds need time to heal up. If water is applied to those wounds, the wounds will heal up slowly or the area can begin to rot.
Main pests
The Cactus Cyst Nematode (Heterodera Cacti):
This pest spends the winter as an adult inside the soil's superficial layer. The eggs hatch during spring and the larvae move in the soil and settle on the cactuses' roots. The larvae feed by stinging the cactus roots, causing physiological disorders. The wounds created by this pest can help other pathogens get inside the plant.
Prevention:
- Plating only healthy species;
- Disinfecting the seedbed and the pot where the cactus will be planted, using: Basamid;
Twospotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae):
This pest spends the winter as an impregnated female inside the bark's cracks, under the residues from the surface of the soil, but in confined spaces it carries out its biological cycle uninterruptedly. The females form a specific web which surrounds the stem and then they start laying the eggs. Both the larvae and the adults sting and suck the plant's cellular juice. After the attack, the plant's development is slowed down. This insect can carry many other diseases.
Prevention:
- Chemical treatments, using: Nissorum 10 WP, Envidor 240 SC, Milbeknock, Vertimec 1.8 EC;
Greenhouse Firefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum):
The adults' bodies are covered by a white, waxy and dusty substance. This pest causes significant damage inside sheltered spaces. Both the adult and the larvae feed on the plant's cellular juice, causing disorder in the plant's physiological processes. If the attack is severe, the plants can become completely dry.
Prevention:
- Chemical treatments, using Decis Mega, Actara 25 WGConfidor Energy, Mospilan 20 SG Movento 100 SC;
Cactus Scale (Diaspis echinocact):
This is the main pest of the plants which grow outside and those which grow inside sheltered spaces. Both the adults and the larvae colonize the plant's shoot system. They feed on the cellular juice and after the attack, the cactuses stop their normal growth and begin to become dry.
Prevention:
- Applying Mospilan 20 SG, Nuprid AL 200 SC, Decis Mega EW 50, Calypso 480 SC, Faster 10 CE;
Green Peach Aphid (Myzus persicae):
This is a very dangerous pest. It is a polyphagous species which attacks numerous plant species. The attack of this pest is represented by a colonization of the plant's shoot system. Both the adults and the larvae feed on the plant's cellular juice. After the attack, the cactuses no longer grow and they begin to wilt.
Prevention:
- Applying Mospilan 20 SG, Actara 25 WG, Karate Zeon 50 CS, Confidor Energy, Decis Mega EW 50;
Woolly Apple Aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum):
It grows many generations per year and is colonizes the cactuses' shoot system. Both the adults and the larvae feed on the plant's cellular juice. After the attack, the tissues become atrophied and eventually wilt.
Prevention:
- Chemical treatments, using Mospilan, Actara, Decis Mega, Confidor Energy, Actellic 50 EC;
Apple has long enjoyed the reputation of making a computing platform that provides security protection that is superior to its peers—in a word, Microsoft. The emergence of a group of malicious software (malware) programs in recent months—collectively known as Flashback or Flashfake—that specifically target Macs and their OS X operating system now has Apple in the unfamiliar position of being on the defensive.
Written as a Trojan horse program, Flashback has infected hundreds of thousands of Macs to date, allowing cyber criminals to steal information from those computers and turn many of them into virtual zombies that can be manipulated to attack other computers. This is not the first time Apple has had to contend with a malware outbreak, but it is by far the largest and most public scar sullying the company's aura of invincibility.
Apple has been able to avoid such security problems in the past for a number of reasons. For nearly two decades, Microsoft's success has kept it in the crosshairs of cyber criminals by virtue of Windows's popularity and, at least early on, the company's inattentiveness to bolstering security as the operating system grew more complex. Beginning in 2003 Microsoft became infamous for 'Patch Tuesday,' a monthly release of security patches (sometimes dozens at a time) to fix problems in its operating system, along with Internet Explorer and other software. Apple was a relatively minor player in the PC market, attracting little attention from cyber criminals who could make more money exploiting Windows. The same year Microsoft introduced Patch Tuesday, Macs represented less than 1.5 percent of desktop computers and less than 3.5 percent of laptop computers worldwide.
Macs still represent only a small portion of the overall worldwide computer market, but their share has risen to roughly 7 percent in recent years and is expected to grow steadily. In the U.S., Apple last year owned more than 10 percent of the PC market, behind only HP and Dell, according to technology research firm Gartner. Mac users can expect more incidents like Flashback will follow.
'In the computer community we've been saying for five, six, seven years that Mac is not more immune to computer viruses than Windows PCs or even Linux boxes, ' says Nicolas Christin, associate director of Carnegie Mellon University's Information Networking Institute. 'The only reason Macs were not massively targeted is that they didn't have enough of a market share to make them interesting for a hacker to devote resources to try to compromise those machines. Now that they've acquired a fairly sizeable market share, it makes sense that the bad guys would focus some attention on the Mac platform.'
Popularity contest
Market share certainly plays a role, but in subtle ways, agrees Stefan Savage, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of California, San Diego. 'Clearly, if a platform is unpopular then there is really not much interest in focusing on it,' he adds. 'In this regard, a platform's security depends on its popularity and the level of effort versus reward—that is, what is the expected return on effort.'
For cyber attackers, the decision to write malware for a particular operating system is an investment requiring the development of new skills, the acquisition of new software programs, even the learning of new slang, Savage says. 'It's not something one does lightly,' he adds. 'Moreover, for malware there is an established ecosystem around Windows that really helps reinforce that platform's dominance [as a target], including malware-writing tools, markets to buy and sell malware, infrastructure to deploy malware and lots of open-source information on new exploitation techniques. It takes time to build that kind of community. Market share certainly drives such things, but there is quite a bit of inertia as well.'
Assessments of a computing platform's security can often be subjective, with the results often depending on a computer user's preference. There are, however, several areas where operating systems can be judged head to head, Savage says, adding that OS X has consistently been behind Windows in producing what have become standard security mechanisms. 'And I'm unaware of Apple putting the level of investment into security that Microsoft has.'
Of course, Microsoft's security woes in the past necessitated that the company invest heavily in security improvements. One of the company's more astute moves came in 2005 when it began hosting its BlueHat conferences at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Wash. At BlueHat Microsoft engineers meet face to face with members of the hacker community to discuss vulnerabilities in Windows.
What is the difference?
OS X suffers from the same security flaws as Windows, and can be exploited just as maliciously by cyber criminals, says Antti Tikkanen, director of security response at F-Secure Corp., a Helsinki-based provider of security research and antivirus software. 'From the pure operating system viewpoint, I don't think there is a big difference between recent versions of Windows—Windows 7, in particular—and OS X with regard to security,' he says.
Given that the amount of effort required to successfully break into a Windows PC or a Mac is roughly the same, it comes down to economics. Cyber attackers want to infect as many computers as possible without investing more money to buy new types of malware—which can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars—and without having to acquire new skills required to write malware for more than one platform, according to Tikkanen. Although malware that targets Windows PCs has existed on the black market for years, there is no real market for OS X malware or for tools designed to write OS X malware, he says, adding, 'This is what keeps the scale of attacks against OS X low: the current attackers need to build their own tools, and this limits the number of bad guys that will go after you.'
Java spills
Apple is making Java software patches as well as a Flashback-removal tool available on its Web site. Some security vendors have set up Web sites to test whether a Mac has been infected. Flashback found its way onto Macs by exploiting a flaw in Java, which translates certain Web applications into code that can executed by different operating systems, including OS X and Windows. Apple's patches, however, will work only for Macs running OS X Lion and Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Still, about 17 percent of Mac users—roughly 10 million people—are running older versions of OS X not eligible for any security updates. Those ineligible for a patch have been advised by a number of security experts to disable Java in their Web browsers, at least until they can update to Java's latest version.
Apple had known about the Java vulnerability since January, when Oracle Corp. (which owns the rights to Java after purchasing Java creator Sun Microsystems in 2009) issued a patch to correct the problem. Apple, however, does not use Oracle's patches and chose to write its own version, which it did not make available until April 12. Flashback did much of its damage during those three months.
Java has proved itself a security liability over the years, in part because most computer users do not regularly install the security patches required to keep the bad guys out of their computers, says Marcus Carey, security researcher for Rapid7, a Boston-based information-technology security services firm. The situation is worse for Mac users because they generally do not install antivirus software, which serves as another layer of protection, he adds.
Flashback's greatest legacy will likely be as a security wake-up call for Mac users. 'The attitude that Mac does not have malware is dated,' Tikkanen says. 'So Mac users should follow the same safety precautions as Windows users. My tip for both Mac and PC users would be to switch off Java if you don't need it, and remember to update the rest of your software.'
