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Experts: Apple's First Worm Nothing to Fret About
'Groundbreaking' Mac virus only affects a few thousand users
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Apr 23, 09 7:06 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Malware that hijacks Macs has shown up for the first time, but it shouldn't be cause for panic, an expert tells the Globe & Mail. The malware, nicknamed iBotNet, only affects a few thousand users who downloaded a pirated copy of iWork and it's not spreading from computer to computer, according to the chief of security giant Symantec.
Macs have tended to be virus-free in the past because the relatively small number of users makes the effort of authoring malware ineffective, but a surge in Apple users has been paired with a rise in malware. "Platform-agnostic" viruses have made it onto security experts' radar for some time, but iBotNet is thought to be the first specifically aimed at creating zombie Macs.