Virus researchers at Sophos have reassured customers that a
recently publicised Mac OS X Trojan horse does not pose a
threat.
Mac/Amphimix-A (also
known as MAC.Amphimix, MacOS/Amphimix, MP3Concept or MP3Virus.gen)
is a Macintosh program which is also a properly-formed MP3
file.
When the program is launched it displays a dialog box to say
"Yep, this is an application. (So what is your iTunes playing
now?)".
The dialog box displayed by Amphimix
The program then tries to load the Amphimix file into the iTunes
player as an MP3 music file. The MP3 component of the file contains
a track called "Wild Laugh", a four second burst of manic
laughter.
Mac/Amphimix-A first appeared as a 'proof-of-concept' on the
internet (even though the concept of Mac programs under disguise is
not a new one), and was widely reported by the media as a "new form
of Mac OS X virus". But it is neither specific to Mac OS X, nor is
it a virus.
"Amphimix has been written as a 'demonstration' to highlight a
vulnerability in Apple's software," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "However, Mac users do not need
to be alarmed. Frankly, the average Mac owner is more likely to
receive a text message from David Beckham at the moment than to
find themselves on the receiving end of this code."
The code does not replicate and does not cause any harm to a
user's system.
Sophos recommends that although the vast majority of viruses are
written for Windows computers, Macintosh users should still protect
their computers from virus attack. Sophos
Anti-Virus for Mac OS X offers comprehensive virus detection
and disinfection against Macintosh, macro and PC viruses. It checks
local hard disks, removable media and networks, operating in
on-access and on-demand modes. Its unique architecture
intelligently determines which files need to be virus checked with
a minimal performance overhead.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.