wwp@yahoogroups.com:
Re: Mac Virus - 25 Oct 2004
Willy Kaemena 2004-Oct-25 22:30:00
Thanks Markus to put this again into (right) proportion.
If somebody would write about all the possibilities to get a PC
virus..... I think your mailbox would be full in a second...
Willy
On Oct 25, 2004, at 23:13, Markus Altendorff wrote:
>
> Dave 360texas.com wrote:
>
>>
>> Mac Users suggest you read this immediately.
>>
>> "Sophos is warning Mac users about a malware ? refered to as both a
>> virus and a worm by the company ? that can disable Mac OS X's built
>> in firewall, steal personal information, and destroy data. "
>>
>> http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=9974&Page=1&page...
>>
>> Dave (PC user but still looking out for others)
>
> Thanks for the reminder, but (as is so common these days when it
> comes to "Mac viruses") this thing is totally blown out of
> proportion (guess Sophos wants to sell a few more packages of
> "virus protection"). This "Renepo" software is what is in Unix
> circles commonly called a "Root Kit" - i.e. if it's installed on
> a computer, it hides its existence and allows for remote
> monitoring and control of the machine with the permissions of a
> system administrator.
>
> Reality check: "Renepo" or "Opener", as it's real name is, does
> NOT have any reproduction routine. It DOES NOT spread. And, like
> most of the Unix tools, you've got to actually install it
> YOURSELF. D'oh. Like "Apple Remote Desktop" for the hacker guys ;-)
>
> OK, so: if you've allowed remote login on a machine AND you've
> got a weak (i.e. easily guessable, short or common name)
> password, then there IS a chance someone could hack into your
> machine just by trying every possible combination. However, this
> risk was there ever since you've hooked your Mac up to the
> internet...
>
> So, don't panic. But stay alert, and don't double-click just
> about anything you downloaded off the internet - THE RENEPO IS
> OUT THERE ;-)
>
> -Markus
>
>
>
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Willy Kaemena
http://homepage.mac.com/wkaemena