Apple admits Mac Defender threat, promises to take action
Apple has finally admitted the danger of Mac Defender – the first major malware to target Mac computers – that created panic among Apple customers, and promised to tackle the issue.
Mac Defender is a malicious malware that seemed to have appeared several weeks ago, infecting Mac computers and stealing credit card information from its victims while pretending to be an anti-virus software. If the malware gets into the user’s computer, it will open a pop-up page in the Internet browser, giving fake warning messages that the device is under serious threat from viruses. If the users follow the instructions given by Mac Defender, they will end up handing over their credit card information into the hands of the hackers.
The appearance of the malware busted Mac’s virus-proof myth and created panic among Apple’s customers. According to ZDNet, Mac Defender might have infected somewhere around 60,000 and 120,000 Mac users. Until recently, Apple had drawn large criticisms for being quiet about the issue and did not give any support on treatment of the infection nor prevention from getting it. According to an interview Ed Bott of ZDNet held with a personnel at AppleCare last week, AppleCare was told not to remove the malware.
