Apple addresses Mac Defender in Snow Leopard security update

Users can install the update via System Updates under the Apple menu. Apple has released a security update for its Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system to address the latest Mac Defender malware and its known variants, such as "Mac Security", "Mac Protector" and "MacGuard". According to Apple, Security Update 2011-003 adds a definition to Snow Leopard's built-in rudimentary malware protection that detects the latest Mac scareware and puts it into file quarantine.

Should a user already be infected with Mac Defender or one of its known variants, Apple notes that the security update installer will also search for and remove the malware. Once detected and removed, the update will notify the user via an alert once the update has been successfully installed.

Interestingly, the security update also causes the system to check daily for updates to the file quarantine malware definition list. However, users can opt-out of this via the "Automatically update safe downloads list" checkbox under Security Preferences. Details about this can be found in a seperate Apple knowledgeable article.

Further details about the security update can be found in Apple's Security Update 2011-003 security mailing list announcement. Security Update 2011-003 is available to download from Apple's web site and requires Mac OS X 10.6.7 or later.

Mac OS X users can upgrade to the latest release via the built-in Software Update function. All users are advised to upgrade as soon as possible.

See also:

• About Security Update 2011-003, a report from The H.
• Russian payment processor said to be behind Mac scareware, a report from The H.
• Mac Defender variant doesn't require admin password, a report from The H.

(crve)