Intego, an antivirus company, has announced that it has found a new spyware application that has the ability to harm machines running Mac OS X. The malicious application is called “OSX/OpinionSpy”, and is downloaded and installed when users install other applications from some popular sites.
This spyware, OSX/OpinionSpy, performs a number of malicious actions, from scanning files to recording user activity, as well as sending information about this activity to remote servers and opening a backdoor on infected Macs.
OSX/OpinionSpy is installed by a number of applications and screen savers that are distributed on sites such as MacUpdate, VersionTracker and Softpedia. The spyware itself is not contained in these applications, but is downloaded during the installation process.
The report goes on to note that the installation instructions for a media converter software and screensavers that allows the malicious program to get his foot in the door. In some cases it requires the user to install a “market research” add-on that then opens a backdoor for the malicious program to transfer private data.
Users have no way of knowing exactly what data is collected and sent to remote servers; such data may include user names, passwords, credit card numbers and more. The risk of this data being collected and used without users’ permission makes this spyware particularly dangerous to users’ privacy.
Apparently this piece of spyware is a derivative a malicious application that has plagued Windows users since 2008.
Continue reading:
- Everything New Apple Just Announced (Septembe
- Apple Watch Pre-Order
- Apple Research Kit launches with 5 Apps
- Apple TV now only $69
TAGS:
