Well I’ve always maintained that Mac’s were safer that Windows boxes – not just because Apple had minor market share, but OSX was based on a BSD (Unix) variant and thus had security in the core design. However, this news should rattle a few of the Mac users.
Researchers have found signs of a Mac botnet that apparently can get access to the root password. If you own a Mac – you might want to read this.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=3157&tag=nl.e589
Please note that this is not a virus – it is a trojan that requires user interaction. In this case, you need to be running a pirated copy of iWorks. It’s not like the exploit just magically happens. You just get a little more software than you bargained for – proving that the user is always the weakest link in the chain.
If you open the door for the thief – the rest of your security doesn’t matter.
Updated 4-17-09