Mac Flashback trojan

opinion guy

According to macrumours Apple just relased a Java update to remove the trojan

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/04/12/apple-releases-java-update-to-remove-flashback-malware/

opinion guy

This might seems stupid question - but how do I know if I need Java or not ?

aidan_walsh

If you don't have it installed and something you run needs it, you'll get a prompt to install it. You might need it for certain web applications - CRO, some commercial online banking - or some older or cross platform applications or games, like Minecraft.

aidan_walsh

Downloaded the update there, 66MB. Will disable the automatic execution of applets unless the user overrides the setting, and re-enables the setting if an applet hasn't been run in "a while".

opinion guy

aidan_walsh wrote: »

If you don't have it installed and something you run needs it, you'll get a prompt to install it. You might need it for certain web applications - CRO, some commercial online banking - or some older or cross platform applications or games, like Minecraft.

Ms Office 2011 ?

Sad Professor

No, Office is ported to the Mac. It's written in Carbon and Cocoa. You'll generally know a Java app when you see one. They are ugly and they tend to like RAM.

In fact, it seems this trojan automatically deletes itself if it detects Office on your system. I guess it figures you have enough problems.

Colonel Panic

Online meeting/screen sharing tools tend to use Java too. Although I used my Windows development VM with Java installed instead.

opinion guy

Sad Professor wrote: »

In fact, it seems this trojan automatically deletes itself if it detects Office on your system. I guess it figures you have enough problems.

Hahaha. The 2011 version seems good actually though I haven't used it much yet.

So I don't think I ahve any reason to have it but I spolighted java and I have java preferences and java vm in my applciations folder. I don't recall installing it and its a new machine

conor.hogan.2

Apple have released a patch, late very late though after 600,000+ infections and nearly 2 months later than Oracle patched it.

This is a major major screw up is 100% Apples fault.

Open and libre office are probably the 2 most used apps on OSX that need Java to run.

Sad Professor

You can use all those Java apps and still have the browser plugin disabled.

conor.hogan.2

Yep. Other people have mentioned browser related things that need Java.

I am mentioning some of the bigger desktop apps (because that is what I use), that a opinion_guy asked for.

(also several programming related programs but I left them out because if you need them you already know about them)

The Black Oil

aidan_walsh wrote: »

Downloaded the update there, 66MB. Will disable the automatic execution of applets unless the user overrides the setting, and re-enables the setting if an applet hasn't been run in "a while".

Downloaded an 80MB update for Java there now. How do disabled applets, if needs be?

As of yesterday, PDFs no longer display in Safari or Firefox. Seem to work in Chrome. I cleared the cache in all 3.

I ran SP's instructions re Terminal on the day he posted them and also yesterday. Nothing was found.