A trojan virus attacking Apple computers, transmitted via pirated iWork software, gained significant attention as it was one of the first viruses to strike the OS X platform. OS X, the operating system of choice for Mac computers, has enjoyed relative safety from OS-tailored attacks thanks to its small market share, though it has become increasingly vulnerable to cross-platform application-level exploits.
The new virus, written in RealBasic, is an ambitious, but decidedly amateurish effort. Comments in the code state that the virus’s goal is to create the “First Mac OS X Botnet.”? The virus also tries to steal email addresses, record keystrokes, and transmit itself via attach hard drives.
Some news outlets reported the virus, dubbed Tored, was a worm; others reported it was a trojan. It turns out it’s both – or at least tries to be. Both the email theft and replication to attached drives mimic viral worms like the Conficker worm. However, the SMTP server that the virus tries to forward itself via is currently inactive. Thus it is currently limited to trojan-style attacks, via the malware-bundled software.
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