Showing posts with label Mac OS X. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mac OS X. Show all posts

Saturday, 16 May 2009

Current List of Mac OS X Active Malware

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This evening I was busy over at the ClamXav forum. In response to a suggestion there, I provided a current list of Mac OS X active malware. I decided to cross-post the list here as well:

Below is a list of all the Mac OS X active malware I am aware of. I've been attempting to keep up to date on this subject since 2005. I have a blog where I share all my knowledge of Mac security:

http://mac-security.blogspot.com

As far as I am able to ascertain, the only active Mac OS X malware ClamAV is able to detect is Trojan.OSX.RSPlug.A (aka DNSChanger.A). In a previous thread I have asked for help trying to determine if any further Mac OS X malware are detected.

Note that there is only one official standard name for each of the 11 malware. This is what I use to name each family. However, anti-malware providers call them anything they choose. This is why I provide alternative names. There are four families of Trojans listed below with various strains/versions/variants designated by "A" through however many exist for the family. In the case of RSPlug I list A through G specifically because the PCTools site lists that many. Most other sites list only A through F.

If anyone knows of further names for these malware, or of any further ACTIVE malware (please not inert or proof-of-concept malware) please let me know at my blog.

The current list of active Mac OS X malware as of 2009-05-17:

I) Trojan.OSX.RSPlug family, aka DNSChanger or Jahlav.
01) Trojan.OSX.RSPlug.A
02) Trojan.OSX.RSPlug.B
03) Trojan.OSX.RSPlug.C
04) Trojan.OSX.RSPlug.D
05) Trojan.OSX.RSPlug.E
06) Trojan.OSX.RSPlug.F
07) Trojan.OSX.RSPlug.G

II) Trojan.OSX.Lamzev family, aka Malez.
08) Trojan.OSX.Lamzev.A

III) Trojan.OSX.PokerStealer family, aka Corpref.
09) Trojan.OSX.PokerStealer.A

IV) Trojan.OSX.iServices family.
10) Trojan.OSX.iServices.A
11) Trojan.OSX.iServices.B

Sources of these malware:

The RSPlug family are all offered by websites that tell you that you must install their file or program in order to access specific media they are offering. Originally these Trojans showed up on porn sites where you were told to download a video codec in order to view their videos. These days the websites could be telling you anything. The basic idea is to use 'Social Engineering' to fool you into installing their Trojan. The most recent of these Trojans can potentially zombie your computer and use it in a botnet.

Lamzev is a hacker tool used to create backdoor access into a computer. The only way to 'catch' it is if a hacker has physical access to your computer and hand-installs it. Note that there are plenty of other hacker tools around, but this is the only one listed as a Trojan because of the potential damage it can do to a victim computer.

PokerStealer originally called itself "PokerGame". You download it, install it and are infected. The original version put up a bogus warning message that a corrupt preference file had been detected and that your administrative password was required to repair it. It then sends your ID, password and IP address to crackers who can then access your computer via SSH and do whatever they like with it. Theoretically this Trojan can be named anything.

iServices showed up earlier this year in pirated programs, buried inside their installer. The original A and B variants were buried in pirated versions of iWorks 09 and Photoshop CS4. You install the pirated program and get infected. There are reports that the installers actually fail to install the listed program and only install the Trojan. In any case, iServices zombies your computer and makes it part of a botnet. This Trojan formed the first officially verified Mac botnet back in February. It apparently consists of thousands of computers. It has so far been used in a DDOS attack. Note that once a Mac is zombied, the 'bot wranger' or cracker-in-charge can do anything they like with the computer. This particular zombie botnet is so far is being used for money making ventures over the Internet.

If/when further Mac OS X active malware is discovered I'll list it in my blog.
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Friday, 23 January 2009

Mac Malware #8: OSX.Trojan.iServices.A

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Intego, makers of VirusBarrier, posted an alert on Thursday 2009-01-22 regarding a newly discovered Trojan horse specific to Mac OS X. They have designated it "OSX.Trojan.iServices.A". It was found in torrented/pirated copies of Apple's iWork 09 installer.

Conclusion: If you have torrented, downloaded or been given any pirated copy of iWork 09, do not install it! Throw it away!

Cures: Intego of course has provided a removal method in the latest malware definitions file for VirusBarrier. The folks at MacScan have also provided a FREE removal tool here.

A MacRumors article about the Trojan can be found here.

How does it work?

1) Included with the iWorks 09 package is an added bogus Trojan package entitled "iWorkServices.pkg". When you install iWork 09, the Trojan is installed along with the legitimate program packages. It is specifically installed as a startup item within your system.

2) According to Intego: "The malicious software connects to a remote server over the Internet; this means that a malicious user will be alerted that this Trojan horse is installed on different Macs, and will have the ability to connect to them and perform various actions remotely. The Trojan horse may also download additional components to an infected Mac."

Essentially, you've been zombied. The cracker controlling the program can do anything with your computer. Examples include money making schemes such as stealing your identity, spamming the net or using your machine in a denial of service attack.

For Mac users, this method of infection is entirely new. It can also be used in any other similarly pirated program installer, not just iWorks 09. The only things specific to iWork 09 about this Trojan are the name of the package used and its placement along side all the other installer packages for iWorks 09.

In other words, pirated Mac program installers are now all suspect. Pirates beware.
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Thursday, 4 December 2008

Update: The State Of Trojan OSX.RSPlug, aka the 'Porno Trojan'

The net-cracker effort to bring the 'RSPlug' Trojan horse from Windows over to Mac OS X continues apace. As of this week we are now up to version E, aka Trojan OSX.RSPlug.E. Again, this Trojan is showing up at scam pornography websites.

The difference with variants D and E, however, are particularly nefarious. Instead of the Trojan itself being the full payload of malware, it downloads the actual payload from the Internet. This means the Trojan can install literally anything into your system. It's not just for DNS forwarding phishing scams any more.

Of course, it will be possible to kill off the payload Internet sites one by one as sub-variants of D & E pop up. But once infected, a Mac could theoretically become zombied, which these days is the prime goal of net-crackers. Botnets can make big money. As was popularly reported last week, the taking down of one particular bot wrangler killed off as much as 70% of SPAM distribution for a few days. That's a massive botnet. Imagine the profit the bot wrangler was pulling in. Sadly, the botnet involved remained intact and another bot-wrangler stepped in to take advantage of it, restoring SPAM to its usual blasting volume.

You can read the details about Trojan OSX.RSPlug.E over at Intego's website.

One hilarious flagging giveaway of this Trojan is the continued laziness of the developers' social engineering method. Instead of altering their tease line to potential wetware victims, they left it exactly the same as the Windows version. This means that anyone who is both Mac and Windows savvy will realize immediately that something screwy is going on. The blunder is the tease line "Video ActiveX Object Error". For those who don't know, ActiveX is a scripting monstrosity perpetrated by Microsoft several years back. Yeah, it was another of their attempts to make the Internet proprietary. ActiveX is entirely irrelevant on Mac OS X, thank goodness, as it is a gigantic, wide open door for malware infection on Windows. The only web browser on Mac capable of running ActiveX rubbish is FireFox, and you have to specifically install an ActiveX extension. Therefore, for the moment, if you run into a "Video ActiveX Object Error" on a website, you have just run into an attempt to infect you with the Trojan OSX.RSPlug.
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Monday, 1 December 2008

Trojan OSX.Lamzev.A

As of last week, Mac OS X has a second piece of malware. It is a Trojan horse officially called OSX.Lamzev.A. (It is also erroneously known as OSX.TrojanKit.Malez).

Detection and removal of this malware is built into the latest versions of the FREEWARE anti-malware programs ClamXav and iAnti-Virus.

So what is the strategy this time? To quote ZDNet:
OSX.Lamzev.A is a hacker tool designed primarily to allow attackers to install backdoors in a user's system, according to Intego. However, the company dismissed the tool as a serious threat because a potential hacker has to have physical access to a system to install the backdoor.
. . .
Other antivirus vendors noted that Lamzev could be disguised as a piece of legitimate software and used to trick users into creating the backdoor themselves.
Theoretically, this will become another piece of social engineering / wetware error malware where the user is tricked into installing it. Therefore, as usual, always verify that anything you install is legitimate software. Check it out at any of the well known shareware distribution sites like VersionTracker.com, MacUpdate.com, TuCows.com or MajorGeeks.com. All of these sites have human users and reviewers who can tell you what's legitimate. If you can't verify an application, don't install it! Also, if you want to be extra safe, work only inside a 'Standard' Mac OS X account, not an Administrator account.

I'm going to keep an eye on this Trojan to see what damage it can do. If it is a true 'backdoor' to Mac OS X, a cracker can do anything they like with your Mac. We'll see with time if this becomes a problem. For now, the anti-malware distributors consider it only a minor threat. Just run your usual FREEWARE anti-malware apps once a week, at least, to clean it out if somehow you've installed it.
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Wednesday, 11 June 2008

Mac Security Advise For Enterprise Users


One of the useful email lists I belong to is the 'Mac OS X enterprise deployment project.' You can join the list and view archives at:

http://lists.psu.edu/archives/macenterprise.html

In April I wrote up a quick article in response to someone's question about preventative maintenance for Mac OS X Server. Interest was expressed in my publishing the article formally on the Internet, so it is provided below. The information is a bit high end, directed specifically to enterprise users of Mac systems. But serious Mac security newbies will find a lot of useful references as well.


:-Derek

===============

From: Derek Currie
Date: April 15, 2008 10:57:25 PM EDT
To: Mac OS X enterprise deployment project
Subject: Re: Apple's guidelines for preventative maintenance for XServes and/or OS X Server.


On Apr 15, 2008, at 04/15, 4:19 PM, Rich Trouton wrote:
"Does anyone know if Apple has posted specifications or guidelines for preventative maintenance for XServes and/or OS X Server? We're doing our regular security re-certification, and one of the things we're being asked for is documentation of how we're doing routine and preventative maintenance "in accordance with manufacturer or vendor specifications and/or organizational requirements." Right now, we don't have organizational requirements, so I'm trying to find Apple's specifications and I'm not finding them. Tempting as it may be, I don't think our re-certification folks are going to accept "there aren't any specifications, so I guess I don't have to do anything" as an valid answer."


Actually, Apple do provide some relevant documentation. See #6 ahead. But first let me provide a long winded brain storm:


1) Detail your backup strategy. I consider making backups the #1 rule of computing and the first step in computer security. Apple provide TimeMachine in Leopard Server.

2) Talk about KeyChain for storing and protecting passwords. I also use 1Password, and excellent shareware program.

3) Discuss what encryption you are using to protect critical data. You can use FileVault or use encrypted disk images created in Disk Utility. (Personally I use an encrypted .sparseimage for storing my database of server clients and other critical odds and ends I would never want stolen). Leopard server offers 256 bit encryption. You shouldn't need anything stronger. As long as you use a ridiculously un-guessable password, theoretically it would take the length of the life of the universe to crack.


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Sideline Rant:

If you're not using encryption, start using it already. I know you know this, but for everyone else: Federal servers are now notorious for having been cracked by the Red Hacker Alliance in China, among others. If the data is seriously encrypted, they're wasting their time. Many businesses now demand encryption. Here is a blurb from the SANS Institute's security newsletter NewsBites Vol. 10 Num. 28 regarding some incredible ignorance at the NIH:

On Apr 8, 2008, at 04/08, 5:00 PM, The SANS Institute wrote:

-- NIH Workers May Not Store Sensitive Data on MacBooks
(April 4 & 7, 2008)

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) agency memo forbids employees from storing sensitive data on MacBook laptop computers. As of April 4, all NIH laptops running Windows or Linux operating systems must have the Pointsec encryption tool; Windows Vista users may also use that operating system's BitLocker disk encryption tool. There is presently a beta version of Pointsec for MacBooks, but not an approved version. The ban on MacBooks holding sensitive data applies to contractors as well as in-house employees.


http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=207001840
http://www.fcw.com/online/news/152173-1.html

[Editor's Note
(Schultz): As said so many previous times, nothing serves as a wake-up call for security as much as a serious security-related incident.
(Liston): Note: The issue here is the lack of an approved version of whole-disk encryption, not with OSX itself. Apple Fanboys: Return to standby. Nothing to see here-- you may safely return to caressing your MacBooks and iPhones.]


Obviously FileVault would be 'approved' if they bothered to notice it was there in Mac OS X.

(Also note that I pointed out Mr. Liston's lack of professionalism in an email I sent all over SANS. I got into a friendly back and forth with the President of SANS, a very nice fellow. He assured me of Mr. Liston's skills and privately told me that he pulls troll manoeuvres such as the above as a way of blowing off steam during a long boring day of security analysis, wink wink. Hopefully my efforts will shut the guy up in the future).
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4) Discuss the fact that Mac OS X uses the PDF document format as part of its foundation, and that any PDF can be locked such that only a user with its password can open it. Discuss how locked PDFs are used in the work environment.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8152.html

5) Discuss your implementation of PGP or GPG (the free Open Source version of PGP) in your work environment. Sources:
http://www.pgp.com/
http://www.gnupg.org/

6) Apple has some security documents relevant to Mac OS X Server:

a) Mac OS X Server - Security Configuration - For Version 10.4 or Later - Second Edition
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/Tiger_Server_Security_Config_021507.pdf

- If an update is provided specific to Leopard Server, it will be posted on the Security Configuration Guides page:
http://www.apple.com/support/security/guides/

b) Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server: Protection for sensitive files when using Apache on an HFS+ volume
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300422

c) Mac OS X: How to keep network computers secure
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61534

d) Mac OS X Leopard - Features - Security
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/300.html#security

7) Apple also offer their Security-Announce mailing list. You can get it via email or via RSS:
http://lists.apple.com/
http://lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/security-announce
feed://rss.lists.apple.com/security-announce.rss


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Bonus Points:

1) Some nifty security statistics from March 2008 to quote in defense of Mac OS X's excellent security record:

http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=8665
http://www.zone-h.org/content/view/14928/30/

An excerpt from the Zone-H Statistics Report 2005-2007, the number of registered computer attacks:

OS ________ | Year 2005 | Year 2006 | Year 2007
------------------------------------------------
MacOSX ________ 2.139 _____ 2.247 _____ 1.488
Windows 2003 _ 72.377 ___ 183.953 ___ 114.137

To quote M. Sharp from Insanely-Great Mac:
"Assuming that the Mac's server market share is growing�the most-recent data on Apple sales I could find (Q2 of last year) had unit volume up 78 percent�then the above figures indicate that attacks are declining absolutely even as the number of servers increases proportionately and absolutely."

2) Apple provide references to security related software from third-party vendors at their 'Macintosh Products Guide' pages:
http://guide.apple.com/

Examples:
a) Go to the Mac Software/Products and Utilities page. In the 'Sub-category' popup menu choose "Security" and hit the Search button. Today there are 135 security related apps listed.

b) Go to the Mac Software/Servers, Networking & Communications page. In the 'Sub-category' popup menu choose "Security" and hit the Search button. Today there are 20 related apps listed.

You could also search for software firewalls, hardware firewalls, etc.
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That should get you going!

:-Derek

===================
Derek Currie
derekcurrie@mac.com.invalid
===================
http://Mac-Security.blogspot.com
http://MacSmarticles.blogspot.com
http://zunipus.blogspot.com
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/dwaynecameronfanclub
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ymorare

� 2008-04-15 Derek Gordon Currie

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