I'm wondering if there's enough similarity with BSD in order for there to be a cross-platform attack. I know that Apple borrowed a lot of the back end from BSD, but I don't know exactly how much.
If it is feasible, I'd expect to see a lot more of this. There are a lot of BSD web servers out there, which, when combined with the Mac market, makes it a very juicy target.
guccilvr: I don't know what the payload is or even if there is one, as I haven't checked SARC on this worm yet. However, even a minor threat is a lot more severe on Mac than it is on PC. Mac users have long relied on the 'security through obscurity' doctrine. Many of them don't have even rudimentary protection, since none of the malware targets them. I suspect that if this does start happening much more often, that's going to have to change.
EDIT - A check at SARC reveals two things. First, that the worm infects any available applications without the OOMPA attribute set, and second that a bug in the code means any file that's infected may become corrupted and unusable. While not an intended payload, that has the potential to be very damaging.
It also turns up OSX.Inqtana.A, a new virus found today. This one doesn't spread very well and therefore isn't as much of a threat, but it's intersting that two OSX viruses turn up in two days.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said
- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
Last edited by Martian; 02-17-2006 at 05:03 PM..
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