Mac Java Hole Exploited by Wild Flashback Trojan Strain

April 02, 2012 By Ali Loney

1 minute read time

April 2, The Register – (International) Mac Java hole exploited by wild Flashback trojan strain. Security watchers have discovered a strain of Mac-specific malware that exploits an unpatched vulnerability in Java. A variant of the Flashback trojan exploiting CVE-2012-0507 (a Java vulnerability) was spotted in the wild, F-Secure warns. Oracle patched the vulnerability for Windows machines in February, but has yet to issue a fix for Mac OS X — creating a window of opportunity for virus writers. F-Secure advises users to disable Java, which is not needed to visit the vast majority of Web sites, on their Mac. Some banking Web sites mandate the use of Java, in which case securityconscious Mac users can re-enable Java for the duration of their session before turning - 17 - it off again, the security firm suggests.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/02/flashback_mac_malware/

Tags: component vulnerabilities, AppSec Spotlight

Written by Ali Loney

Ali Loney is a Senior UX Designer at Walmart Labs. She is based in Canada and was the former Graphic Designer at Sonatype.