Phishing trojan targets OS X

By Shaun Nichols on Nov 1, 2007 9:49 AM
Filed under Security

Security vendor Intego claims to have found a new trojan attack that targets Apple's OS X operating system. Researchers from competing security firms however have been unable to find samples of the trojan.

The OSX.RSPlug.A trojan allegedly disguises itself as a video codec that would provided access to a pornographic video. Intego said that malware authors spammed Mac forums with links for pornographic websites hosting the malware.

Users attmpeting to install the codec receive a piece of malware classified as a 'DNS Changer'. The software changes the way OS X will handle the DNS requests that are used to link numerical IP addresses to web URLs. The tool allows the attackers to redirect web traffic. Users attempting to visit Paypal, Ebay or certain banking sites for instance will be directed to a phishing website instead.

If confirmed, the trojan would be the first piece of truly malicious software to be targeted at OS X. Researchers have developed OS X attacks and exploits, but those were largely proof-of-concept attacks that lacked a malicious payload.

While security experts agree that such a piece of malware would pose a very serious threat to users, it remains unclear just how far the reported trojan has spread.

Representatives for Symantec, said that their researchers had been unable to find the trojan in the wild or obtain a sample from Intego. A spokesperson for Symantec noted that Intego "has a tendency to overhype things. "

Intego could not be reached for comment.