Ed Bott on the ‘Mac Defender’ Trojan Horse Scam

Bott quotes an anonymous AppleCare support rep that the Mac Defender scam is a growing problem, and here links to a bunch of threads on Apple’s support forum from affected users. Trojans aren’t a new problem on Mac OS X — trick a user into installing an app with admin privileges and the game’s over. Mac Defender isn’t an indication that Mac users need anti-malware software — in fact, the reason it appears to be succeeding is that it preys on uninformed users’ belief that they might need anti-malware software.

So, for the sake of argument, let’s take it as a given that this sort of thing is becoming more common. What can Apple do? Think about it. (My guess: think about why the iPhone and iPad, despite being far more popular than the Mac, have no trojan horses.)

★ Wednesday, 18 May 2011