Apple defuses ‘text bomb’ bug
A number of text-based apps crashed, became unresponsive or entered an endless bootloop when attempting to show the otherwise little-used character from a language that is spoken by some 75 million people.
Apple
Users of iPhones and Macs must update to avoid Stagefright-like bug
Make sure that all your Apple devices are patched before online criminals attempt to take advantage of this flaw.
WireLurker: new malware targets Apple users
A new malware has been discovered that targets both Apple Mac computers and iPhones, Neowin reports. It is the first known malware that can infect iPhones that have not been jailbroken.
Urgent iPhone and iPad security update, Mac OS X as well
Users of Apple iPhone and/or iPad need to install iOS 7.0.6 right away to patch a vulnerability in the SSL code that protects connections with websites and other computers. Users of Mac OS X should be on alert for a similar fix, due shortly.
Flashback Wrap Up
Six months ago, Flashback was attracting a lot of attention from researchers and media due to its wide spread and interesting features. Since then, we have witnessed its operator abandoning control of the botnet by shutting down its latest command and control server. This happened in May this year. The number of infected systems has
The Dynamic Duo for Securing your Android: Common Sense and Security Software
On Thursday, September 12, Duo Security, a young-but-respected vendor of two-factor authentication devices, announced the preliminary results of a study of over 20,000 Android devices from a two month old study they performed. Based on the results, they calculated that over half of Android devices on the market have security vulnerabilities that are, as yet,
Authentication attacks: Apple, Amazon, iCloud, Google, anything with a password
Sharing details of the hack that “wiped his life” has earned Mat Honan a place in the annals of information system security; the specific inter-dependence of flawed authentication systems that cost him so dearly–encompassing Apple, iCloud, Amazon.com, Gmail and more–would probably still exist if Mat had not gone public. Wired has the full story here
Mac OSX/iOS hacks at Blackhat – are scammers setting their sights?
For years scammers and hackers focused largely on Windows x86-based platforms, in many ways because that’s where the bulk of the users were. But times change, and new targets emerge. At Blackhat and Defcon last week we saw a flurry of talks on Mac OSX/iOS security, trying to illuminate possible chinks in the armor. From
Windows Phone 8: Security Heaven or Hell?
Introduction Mobile World Congress 2012 is almost upon us, and one of the most hotly-anticipated topics is the next generation of Microsoft’s smartphone operating system Windows Phone 8, which has been kept under wraps far more tightly than its PC counterpart, Windows 8. While Microsoft was an early adopter in the creation of smartphones with
Updates on OSX/Tsunami.A, a Mac OS X Trojan
Yesterday, ESET announced the discovery of a new threat against the Apple Mac OS X platform. Today, we have found a new version of the same threat. The new version is similar to the previous version with two important differences. The first addition to this threat is that it now implements persistence on an infected
Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011
ESET would like to extend our sincere sympathies to the friends, family and colleagues of Steve Jobs. Steve was a true visionary, without whom the world of computing would be very different. If you have never seen Steve's Stanford University Commencement Address, you should, it's truly inspirational. The third point he makes is that we
New Apple OS X Malware: Fake Adobe Flash Installer
A new attack against Apple Mac OS X Lion (10.7) has been detected by Intego. The threat is a Trojan, dubbed Flashback, installed via a fake Adobe Flash installer downloaded from a third party site. As with the MacDefender and Revir malware, the Flashback attack uses social engineering to entice the user to download then
PDF Trojan Appears on Mac OS X
A new trojan has been released targeting the Macintosh Chinese-language user community. The trojan appears to the user to be a PDF containing a Chinese language article on the long-running dispute over whether Japan or China owns the Diaoyu Islands. When the user opens the “PDF” file, it attempts to mask the installation
Where there’s smoke, there’s FireWire
Forensic software developer PassWare announced a new version of its eponymous software forensics kit on Tuesday. Already several news sources are writing about how the program can automatically obtain the login password from a locked or sleeping Mac simply by plugging in a USB flash drive containing their software and connecting it to another computer
MacDefender undergoes a name change, MacShield
The MacDefender malware has morphed again, now taking the guise of "MacShield." As in the case of its oldest sibling MacDefender, the MacShield variant has taken the name of a legitimate Mac OSX software product with small distribution, doubtless causing the real developer significant heartache. The UI is essentially unchanged, but as usual all
MacDefender: The sky is not falling…
In the last few days, I have been asked by a journalist (or four) what MacDefender means for the future of Apple security, and if I thought there was excess hype around it. I'll address the second question first. I think its safe to say the current malware would not be newsworthy if
Social engineers don’t care about your OS: and nor should you
Security companies in general and, unfortunately, anti-malware companies in particular, are often accused of ‘hyping’ threats because of a perceived self-interest. However, in the main, legitimate vendors and researchers like those at ESET typically try to resist overhyping or playing up threats where possible, in favor of more balanced discussion that can help customers take
The iPad 2 is Not Free
George Santayana was a really smart philosopher. He is best known for his quote “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. If you want to learn a little something from the past so as not to repeat other people’s mistakes then you can read Aryeh’s blog from when the first iPad
Mac to the Future
I like Macs. Not in an "OS X is God's own Operating System" sort of way, but I've owned/used many Macs, from SE/30s and IICX's to iMacs, eMacs and Macbooks. In fact, at least two of my books were written on the Powerbook which was my workhorse machine in my last couple of years at
iPhone Through the Looking Glass
...iPhones are, under limited circumstances, willing to share information with other devices when they shouldn't...