Online criminals paying out for Mac hacks
Monday, September 28, 2009
An internet security expert said last week that a Russian hacker cartel known as the "Partnerka" pays hackers 43 cents for each Mac they infect with a phony video program.
While the Partnerka - a loosely affiliated group of malicious websites that generates revenue from serving malware and associated scams - primarily targets Windows PCs, an associated group is going after Macs. Scams similar to those used by the Partnerka, including ads for rogue anti-virus programs, are used by what security researcher Dmitry Samosseiko called the "Codec Partnerka," which also offers bogus video players for Mac OS X.
Apple has taken a great deal of heat from computer security experts for not doing more to close loopholes that cyber criminals can exploit. But defenders point to low market share as a de-motivator for would-be Mac hackers, since the low number of Macs in use makes them a less likely target for wide-ranging attacks.
While Windows PCs are more frequent targets for financially motivated criminal activity, cyber attacks against computers running Mac operating systems are on the rise. Experts say that this surge is particularly dangerous, as the infrequency of attacks means that Mac users are much less likely to have anti-virus protection enabled.
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