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New Trojan Released.

MrMacMan

MrMacMan

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 4, 2001
7,002
11
1 Block away from NYC.
Press Release:
A New Trojan has been Released -- Reports 'MrMacMan' the famous user from the Site MacRumors.com.
The Trojan called 'Mayhem' was released apparently by the Factor X Studio.

Its intent obviously malicious: Is to restart constantly in a looping cycle.

There is a simple Uninstall process, being that on restart you hold down the 'Shift' Button and wait until you reach the finder, when you get there you want to delete the file in your 'Startup Items' in your system preferences. You may also want to delete Mayhem also by a simple search of your hard drive (Apple + F). Once this is completed you should restart.


While this is only the 2ed Trojan on the Mac it is for sure not the last. It is pretty simple to see why there are an infinite number of these type of 'trojans'.
Being That They are simple Apple Script files!

Just about anyone can make an Apple Script file and there are thousands without malicious intent, this however is the 2ed one with obvious malicious intent.

More information about this Trojan coming soon!

5/16/04
MrMacMan Security Force™

Update 1: If you wish to see this trojan in its full force you are able to download it at VersionTracker. *WARNING* This is not a harmless download, if installed it WILL restart your computer and you WILL have to take the steps above to uninstall it.
 
No matter how much technical crap I am probably going to hear, I don't think of this as a Trojan at all. When was the last time you had to go to VersionTracker and download a Trojan? :rolleyes:

These are just AppleScripts, not viruses attacking gaping security holes; people could have created them years ago. Just because they are popping up now doesn't mean OS X has gotten a whole less secure.

Some will say I am in denial.....but as far as I am concerned, there are 0 viruses or trojans or worms or whatever for OS X. In my eyes, "concepts" provided to you by Intergo and Applescripts don't cut it.

My 2 cents. :)
 
this is so stupid. i did this to my friend like back in 0S 8 as a prank. I made a script that just shut the machine down and stuck it in the start up items folder.

this is by NO means a trojan.. haha.
 
nope this is a bad Trojan. it doesn't even plant itself in the startup directory by itself.
 
It's like the "virus for mac" :

Dear Mac user,

To run this virus, please select your home directory, move it to the trash, and select "Empty Trash". Thank you, and have a nice day :)

- The Macintosh Virus
 
lol, not a Trojan, but a good prank.

Honestly, there's not a good amount of pranks available for the Macintosh. I gotta save this one till April Fools next year.
 
Freg3000 said:
These are just AppleScripts, not viruses attacking gaping security holes
Click to expand...
There's no patch for human stupidity. You would have to willingly run a script like this. You could be fooled--if you are foolish--into running it, but then you get what you deserve.
 
Quote: "New Trojan Released"

yeah i saw this on the weekend, Brad Pitt was pretty good, and I really liked the special effects for the sea battle scenes. on the whole i recommend it :p
 
cjc343 said:
this has been around a long time, it isn't a trojan because it doesn't spread by itsself....
Click to expand...

A trojan gets called a trojan not because of what it does. It's all about presentation. Replication, destructive power, abuse of specific OS weaknesses have nothing to do with it. Tricking the operating system into thinking the file is not executable, or even just labeling it something it is not (like say, MS Office Installer . . .) would qualify a destructive program as a trojan.

Trojan is a reference to the "Trojan Horse" -- that is it looks useful/desirable but actually is not.
 
thecombatwombat said:
Trojan is a reference to the "Trojan Horse" -- that is it looks useful/desirable but actually is not.
Click to expand...
Yeah, don't you remember that from shool? Greek soldiers needed to infiltrate the city of Troy so they made a big wooden horse (full of soldiers of course) and gave it to the Trojans as a peace offering. The Trojans were delighted and spent the night partying. In the middle of the night the Greeks got out of the horse, killed the guards, and opened the gates for a full Greek invasion. By dawn all the Trojans were dead or in slavery.

Can you see the analogy now?
 
Freg3000 said:
No matter how much technical crap I am probably going to hear, I don't think of this as a Trojan at all.
Click to expand...

Seriously. People need to learn the definitions of these words. Trojans typically don't exploit anything other than user ignorance. As others have mentioned, a "trojan" is just a program that tricks a user into running it by looking like something else. Thus the name.
What is the difference between a virus, worm and trojan?
 
KevCo said:
Seriously. People need to learn the definitions of these words. Trojans typically don't exploit anything other than user ignorance. As others have mentioned, a "trojan" is just a program that tricks a user into running it by looking like something else. Thus the name.
What is the difference between a virus, worm and trojan?
Click to expand...

I really wish people would stop this notion of "trojans only catch stupid users". The trojans we've seen recently are basic and amateurish. They act immediately and obviously, so while they can do damage, they're easily detected. More subtle trojans can (and probably, will) do much, much more damage, and everyone is at risk, not just newbies.
 
I'm going to stick with the "trojans only catch stupid users" side. They at least catch only careless users. You have to do something to activate a trojan--click an attachment or do something everyone should know not to do.

They can get more harmful (you can AppleScript anything) and better hidden, but there are some basic rules for using a computer that will keep you from having these problems.
 
Horrortaxi said:
I'm going to stick with the "trojans only catch stupid users" side. They at least catch only careless users. You have to do something to activate a trojan--click an attachment or do something everyone should know not to do.

They can get more harmful (you can AppleScript anything) and better hidden, but there are some basic rules for using a computer that will keep you from having these problems.
Click to expand...

Therefore.. I take it you've never used shareware/freeware. Any of those could contain a latent trojan that will only activate - subtly and quietly - after a certain period of usage.

In fact, even commercial software isn't safe. There's nothing to prevent an employee embedding a trojan in a legitimate piece of code. If memory serves me correctly, Apple's been bitten in the past with rogue employees inserting 'undesirables' into code (I believe porn images were burnt into the ROM of a small number of early Macs - if porn can get through, what's to prevent a trojan written by a disgruntled employee).
 
MrMacMan, I don't mean to offend you; but you must not know very much about trojans and viruses.

A trojan allows someone to gain control of your system secretly. This isn't a trojan....

A virus allows someone to secretly execute code which damages your system. This isn't a virus....

What is this then? It's an AppleScript and nothing else. Not a flaw.
 
titaniumducky said:
A virus allows someone to secretly execute code which damages your system. This isn't a virus....
Click to expand...

Just to be pedantic, a virus doesn't have to damage your system, or attempt to, to be a virus. If it's an executable can replicate itself, it's a virus. If it can do so remotely, without user interaction, it's a worm. Neither is necessarily malicious. </pedant>
 
whooleytoo said:
I really wish people would stop this notion of "trojans only catch stupid users".
Click to expand...
I didn't say "stupid" I said "ignorant". People seem to have as much trouble understanding the difference between trojans and worms and viruses as they do between stupidity and ignorance.
 
KevCo said:
I didn't say "stupid" I said "ignorant". People seem to have as much trouble understanding the difference between trojans and worms and viruses as they do between stupidity and ignorance.
Click to expand...

Alright then, forgive my ignorance/stupidity. ;)

My point stands. A well constructed trojan can fool anyone, careful or not.
 
Steven1621 said:
no matter how many of the things are out there, how are they going to spread to the 4% of us in the computing world?
Click to expand...
That is not the problem. You can find gathering places where Macs can possibly be infected. The problem is that the trojan is so much less likely to be passed from Mac to Mac. It is also less likely to damage the infected Mac than a Windows trojan is to infect a Windows machine.
 
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