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During 2012, Mac users saw the harsh truth behind the myths about the security of Mac environments:

  • In early 2012, the Flashfake botnet was discovered – consisting of 700,000 computers that were all running under Mac OS X.
  • Throughout 2012, cybercriminals repeatedly used Mac malware when launching targeted attacks. One of the reasons behind these attacks is the fact that Apple products are popular with many prominent businessmen and influential politicians. The information spread in these users’ computers is of interest to a specific category of cybercriminal.

Today, it’s recognised that Mac malware – or Apple malware – is a serious threat to the security of users’ computers and information.

The growth in Mac threats, Mac viruses and Mac malware

The number of Mac malware items is increasing at a rapid rate:

  • In 2012, Kaspersky Lab’s antivirus experts created 30% more signatures to detect various Mac Trojan viruses – versus the number for 2011.
  • Compared with figures for 2010, the number of signatures created annually has increased by a factor of six.

Top 10 malicious programs for Mac OS X – for the second half of 2012

Although Flashfake was the biggest threat during the first six months of 2012, here’s a list of the top OS X malware items that were being circulated in the second half of the year:

Position  

Name

% of total attacks

1

Trojan.OSX.FakeCo.a 

52%

2

Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Jahlav.d

8%

3

Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Flashfake.ai

7%

4

Trojan-Downloader.OSX.FavDonw.c

5%

5

Trojan-Downloader.OSX.FavDonw.a

2%

6

Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Flashfake.ab    

2%

7

Trojan-FakeAV.OSX.Defma.gen

2%

8

Trojan-FakeAV.OSX.Defma.f

1%

9

Exploit.OSX.Smid.b

1%

10

Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Flashfake.af

1%

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