A new rogue security application for the Mac could be on the way, according
to one industry executive.
Sunbelt Software chief executive Alex Eckelberry revealed that researchers at
his company had
uncovered
a web site advertising a product known as 'MacGuard'.
The product claims to offer spyware and antivirus protection, as well as the
ability to remove adware and block phishing attacks on OS X systems.
No downloadable software has been found on the site, but Eckelberry is urging
users to remain vigilant.
The group believed to be behind the site also distributes 'Antivirus XP 2008'
and 'XP Antivirus', a pair of rogue Windows security applications which
Eckelberry classified as "really horrific".
Both applications have been known to use exploits to install themselves
without consent and send fake alert messages designed to scare victims into
paying for non-existent security protection.
If the MacGuard application does turn out to be a rogue security attack, it
will mark another incident in a small but growing crop of Mac malware releases.
Almost non-existent two years ago, a handful of Mac malware samples have
emerged in the past 12 months, starting with a
fake
codec attack in November and continuing with a
bogus
security scam in January and a pair of
data-stealing
Trojans found this summer.
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