Hackers Paid to Hijack Macs

News Type: Event — Seeded on Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:04 PM EDT

Article Source: PC World

technology, apple, security, malware, ru-news, partnerka, rauusia

A network of Russian malware writers and spammers paid hackers 43 cents for each Mac machine they infected with bogus video software, a sign that Macs have become attack targets, a security researcher said yesterday.

Published to:

Red Wolf's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Newsvine Technology, Science And Technology, The Infinite Loop, Worldviews
Regions: none

What's this?

Who's leading the conversation?

This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.

3.2

{"commentId":9738034,"authorDomain":"redwolf"}

Red Wolf

In a presentation last week at the Virus Bulletin 2009 security conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Sophos researcher Dmitry Samosseiko discussed his investigation of the Russian "Partnerka," a tangled collection of Web affiliates who rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars from spam and malware, most of the former related to phony drug sites, and much of the latter targeting Windows users with fake security software, or "scareware."

But Samosseiko also said he had uncovered affiliates, which he dubbed "codec-partnerka," that aim for Macs. "Mac users are not immune to the scareware threat," said Samosseiko in the research paper he released at the conference to accompany his presentation. "In fact, there are 'codec-partnerka' dedicated to the sale and promotion of fake Mac software."

{"commentId":9738034,"threadId":"687273","contentId":"3323206","authorDomain":"redwolf"}

2 votes

#1 - Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:04 PM EDT

{"commentId":9739677,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

Hey leave my Mac alone ! I Just got it on the air via cellular modem, I Would hate to think of it getting hijacked !!

Good seeing you RW

Tedd

{"commentId":9739677,"threadId":"687273","contentId":"3323206","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

1 vote

#2 - Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:26 PM EDT

{"commentId":9739822,"authorDomain":"redwolf"}

Red Wolf

Great to see you back online. I've missed you!

{"commentId":9739822,"threadId":"687273","contentId":"3323206","authorDomain":"redwolf"}

1 vote

#2.1 - Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:36 PM EDT

{"commentId":9744056,"authorDomain":"rallyrulz"}

rallyrulz

this article wouldnt happen to be written by an anti virus vendor now would it...? in the hope ppl buy their pathetic crap.

{"commentId":9744056,"threadId":"687273","contentId":"3323206","authorDomain":"rallyrulz"}

#3 - Mon Sep 28, 2009 3:13 AM EDT

{"commentId":9805897,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

Missed you 2 RW, will be glad when I am really home and get back to Newsvine fulltime !

{"commentId":9805897,"threadId":"687273","contentId":"3323206","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

1 vote

#4 - Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:25 PM EDT

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"687273","isPrivate":false}

RED WOLF

Backyard

Hackers Paid to Hijack Macs

Published to:

FUN STUFF:

COMPANY STUFF:

LEGAL STUFF: