Apple provides MacDefender removal tips: will offer software update to automatically remove similar malware

A recent phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them that their computer is infected with a virus. The user is then offered Mac Defender “anti-virus” software to solve the issue.

This “anti-virus” software is a malware (i.e. malicious software).  Its ultimate goal is to get the user’s credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes.

The most common names for this malware are MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity.

In the coming days, Apple is expected to deliver a Mac OS X software update that will automatically find and remove Mac Defender malware and its known variants.  The update will also help protect users by providing an explicit warning if they download this malware.

In the meantime, the Resolution section below provides step-by-step instructions on how to avoid or manually remove this malware.

If any notifications about viruses or security software appear, quit Safari or any other browser that you are using. If a normal attempt at quitting the browser doesn’t work, then Force Quit the browser.

In some cases, your browser may automatically download and launch the installer for this malicious software.  If this happens, cancel the installation process; do not enter your administrator password.  Delete the installer immediately using the steps below.

1. Go into the Downloads folder or your preferred download location.
2. Drag the installer to the Trash.
3. Empty the Trash.

How to remove this malware

If the malware has been installed, we recommend the following actions:

• Do not provide your credit card information under any circumstances.
• Use the Removal Steps below.

Removal steps

• Move or close the Scan Window
• Go to the Utilities folder in the Applications folder and launch Activity Monitor
• Choose All Processes from the pop up menu in the upper right corner of the window
• Under the Process Name column, look for the name of the app and click to select it; common app names include: MacDefender, MacSecurity or MacProtector
• Click the Quit Process button in the upper left corner of the window and select Quit
• Quit Activity Monitor application
• Open the Applications folder
• Locate the app ex. MacDefender, MacSecurity, MacProtector or other name
• Drag to Trash, and empty Trash

Malware also installs a login item in your account in System Preferences. Removal of the login item is not necessary, but you can remove it by following the steps below.

• Open System Preferences, select Accounts, then Login Items
• Select the name of the app you removed in the steps above ex. MacDefender, MacSecurity, MacProtector
• Click the minus button

Use the steps in the “How to avoid installing this malware” section above to remove the installer from the download location.

Mac rogue security software uses search engine poisoning ahead of Mother’s Day

Researchers at SophosLabs Canada have alerted to the world’s first JavaScript fake scanner trying to convince Mac users that their computers are infected by a virus.

This step is extra important on OS X as users will have to install the malware and enter in their administrative credentials for the privilege of infecting themselves.

Even worse, the attackers are poisoning search terms and images related to Mother’s Day. Simply searching Google for seemingly innocent content to honor your mum could end up with a malware infection.

Mac users who happen upon a poisoned search result it will pop up a fake anti-virus scanner written in JavaScript that looks just like the OS X Finder application.

Windows users aren’t left out… They get their own fake popup, which we have seen all too often.

“The criminals behind these attacks seem to be using Google’s search auto-complete technology to determine the most popular search terms to poison,” explained Chester Wisniewski, Senior Security Advisor at Sophos Canada.

Java-based Trojan, IncognitoRAT targets both Windows as well as Mac

Most of today’s malware work on Windows and its apps, because it can affect a lot of people around the world (considering over 90% market share of windows in the consumer operating system space). However, other platforms are becoming more popular every day and attracting bad guys who are starting to create malicious code for other systems.

According to McAfee, a further threat is cross-platform malware that can execute on Windows and Mac using Java; this type of malware can run in a multiplatform Java Virtual Machine. IncognitoRAT is one example of a Java-based Trojan discovered in the wild that is being downloaded and installed by another component. This malware behaves like other Windows botnets but uses source code and libraries that can operate on other platforms.

“The original propagation vector of IncognitoRAT is a Windows executable, but apparently it was created using the tool JarToExe, which includes, among other features, the ability to convert .jar files into .exe files, to add program icons and version information, and protect and encrypt Java programs. The victim’s machine has to have the Java Runtime Environment installed and must be online,” explains Carlos Castillo, Malware researcher, McAfee. As soon as the file is executed, it starts downloading a ZIP file with a pack of Java-based libraries to perform several remote activities:

• Java Registry Wrapper: Used to access the Windows Registry and create an entry in Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run to execute the malware every time the computer starts
• Java Remote Control: To view and take remote control (keyboard and mouse) of an infected machine
• JLayer – MP3 Library: To remotely play an MP3 file on the infected machine
• RNP-VideoPlayer: To play videos remotely
• JavaMail: Optional Java package to send stolen information to an email account
• Freedom for Media Java: Open-source alternative to the official Java Media Framework; used by the malware to watch and record images from a remote webcam

In additional to those libraries, the downloader drops the following .jar components:

• JavaUpdater.jar: Decrypts the directory (full path) that will be created by the malware to place all the components on the infected machine. It implements TripleDES encryption and decryption methods. Finally, the component executes the principal malware, server.jar, using the common instructions to run Java applications in Windows (java -jar %malwarepath%/Server.jar).
• Server.jar: Runs in the background collecting keystrokes using a DLL designed to hook the keyboard on the infected machine. Also waits for commands sent from the control server to use the libraries described above and perform other actions, such as sending the captured keystrokes in a text file to an FTP server or an email account, viewing and recording the remote webcam, performing distributed denial –of-service attacks, taking remote control of the machine, etc.

One interesting feature of this botnet that we could not replicate during our analysis is its ability to “crash” the system. Apparently, it is a fake crash because in the dropped files we found a curious image that may appear on the infected machine: