Apple stuff - Mac, iPad, iphone
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,156
Likes: 113
From: There and here
In general I don't download much at all that might be dodgy, or at least appear to be. It seemed to have been buried in an RSS feed in the Pubsub folder within the Library folder of the user account and was called FlashBack Trojan Horse 2.0a..... I haven't been a victim of any financial shenanigens and the photos of me and the donkey haven't gone on line 
, so perhaps it was a wasted effort.SHJ
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 139
Likes: 0
From: uk
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Joined: Jul 2000
Aviation Qualifications: Spotter
Posts: 24,614
Likes: 7,321
From: Peripatetic
Thanks.
On an unrelated issue, over the last weekend I found I couldn't log-on to Pprune using my MacBook at home using Safari.
When I tried to log-on Pprune came up with an incorrect password error message. I went through the rigmarole of changing it a couple of times, same thing. Cleared out the cache, cookies etc - same problem.
I can log-on fine using Firefox on the same machine, problem is only with Safari. No changes made to the set up between the time it worked and when it didn't.
Any ideas?
On an unrelated issue, over the last weekend I found I couldn't log-on to Pprune using my MacBook at home using Safari.
When I tried to log-on Pprune came up with an incorrect password error message. I went through the rigmarole of changing it a couple of times, same thing. Cleared out the cache, cookies etc - same problem.
I can log-on fine using Firefox on the same machine, problem is only with Safari. No changes made to the set up between the time it worked and when it didn't.
Any ideas?
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 755
Likes: 26
From: Dublin, Ireland. (No, I just live here.)
I don't have a Mac, but my landlady has two of their notebooks, and occasionally asks for my help. Recently she had problems with applications such as Safari just not starting at all, so I looked in to it, and I thought I should report what I found in case it helps anyone:
MacBook Pro, about 5 y.o.
OS X Tiger 10.4.11. Yes, I know, and so does she, but her "Mac guy" does that kind of thing. If he can be contacted. I suspect he may be replaced by me at some point in the future.
Microsoft Office 2007 for Mac, up-to-date.
The basic problem had happened before and was known: the hard disk drive was completely full, with 0KB free, and that stops e.g. Entourage from starting with an obscure error about caches. She had previously removed unnecessary applications and archived photos, but it kept happening. To find out where the space was going, I persuaded her to let me open a terminal and run a few commands such as "df" and "du". (I'm a Linux user, and it's all UNIX anyway.)
I found that her Caches folder was taking up a several GB of space, and after some online research, I found that some subfolders could be safely removed. Safari cache, for example. After that and a couple more application removals, there was about a GB free and she could work ... but the disk was thrashing, and we could see the free space dropping like a plane after a bird strike.
More digging commands, and I could see that there was over 1.5GB in an Entourage cache folder. This was an index that Entourage was creating of all her mail. Of which there was plenty, and that was what was filling up the hard drive. It's a setting that Entourage has that indexes mail so it can be found by Spotlight, the OS X indexing system.
She never used Spotlight seriously, she said, so I turned it off in Entourage preferences, and that deleted its index - freeing up almost 2GB of disk in minutes. Then turned Spotlight off entirely and deleted the index (more terminal commands).
So the machine's a lot happier without all that indexing thrashing the disk and filling it up. Turns out that the Entourage Spotlight indexing process is so dumb, it will completely fill up the hard drive to the last byte, which stops Entourage from loading at all.
And if anyone wants to tell me I didn't do things "the Apple way", well ... this problem wasn't Apple's fault, and (in any case) I'm not a Mac person, I only care about getting things to work. Sorry ..!
* three if you include the PowerMac G3 laptop in the attic!
MacBook Pro, about 5 y.o.
OS X Tiger 10.4.11. Yes, I know, and so does she, but her "Mac guy" does that kind of thing. If he can be contacted. I suspect he may be replaced by me at some point in the future.
Microsoft Office 2007 for Mac, up-to-date.
The basic problem had happened before and was known: the hard disk drive was completely full, with 0KB free, and that stops e.g. Entourage from starting with an obscure error about caches. She had previously removed unnecessary applications and archived photos, but it kept happening. To find out where the space was going, I persuaded her to let me open a terminal and run a few commands such as "df" and "du". (I'm a Linux user, and it's all UNIX anyway.)
I found that her Caches folder was taking up a several GB of space, and after some online research, I found that some subfolders could be safely removed. Safari cache, for example. After that and a couple more application removals, there was about a GB free and she could work ... but the disk was thrashing, and we could see the free space dropping like a plane after a bird strike.
More digging commands, and I could see that there was over 1.5GB in an Entourage cache folder. This was an index that Entourage was creating of all her mail. Of which there was plenty, and that was what was filling up the hard drive. It's a setting that Entourage has that indexes mail so it can be found by Spotlight, the OS X indexing system.
She never used Spotlight seriously, she said, so I turned it off in Entourage preferences, and that deleted its index - freeing up almost 2GB of disk in minutes. Then turned Spotlight off entirely and deleted the index (more terminal commands).
So the machine's a lot happier without all that indexing thrashing the disk and filling it up. Turns out that the Entourage Spotlight indexing process is so dumb, it will completely fill up the hard drive to the last byte, which stops Entourage from loading at all.
And if anyone wants to tell me I didn't do things "the Apple way", well ... this problem wasn't Apple's fault, and (in any case) I'm not a Mac person, I only care about getting things to work. Sorry ..!
* three if you include the PowerMac G3 laptop in the attic!
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
From: Earth
bnt
Had you been using 10.6, or even better 10.7, you wouldn't have had the majority of problems you've just described. 
Spotlight in particular, for example, has seen major improvements since 10.4 !
OS X Tiger 10.4.11.
Spotlight in particular, for example, has seen major improvements since 10.4 !
Joined: Jul 2005
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 216
Likes: 9
From: West Sussex
Logging onto PPRune with iPad
On an unrelated issue, over the last weekend I found I couldn't log-on to PPRuNe using my MacBook at home using Safari.
When I tried to log-on PPRuNe came up with an incorrect password error message. I went through the rigmarole of changing it a couple of times, same thing. Cleared out the cache, cookies etc - same problem.
I can log-on fine using Firefox on the same machine, problem is only with Safari. No changes made to the set up between the time it worked and when it didn't.
Any ideas?
When I tried to log-on PPRuNe came up with an incorrect password error message. I went through the rigmarole of changing it a couple of times, same thing. Cleared out the cache, cookies etc - same problem.
I can log-on fine using Firefox on the same machine, problem is only with Safari. No changes made to the set up between the time it worked and when it didn't.
Any ideas?
Only on iPad, not on my PC running Firefox.
Chief Bottle Washer
Joined: Sep 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 7,273
Likes: 1,439
From: PPRuNe
On an unrelated issue, over the last weekend I found I couldn't log-on to Pprune using my MacBook at home using Safari.
When I tried to log-on Pprune came up with an incorrect password error message. I went through the rigmarole of changing it a couple of times, same thing. Cleared out the cache, cookies etc - same problem.
I can log-on fine using Firefox on the same machine, problem is only with Safari. No changes made to the set up between the time it worked and when it didn't.
Any ideas?
When I tried to log-on Pprune came up with an incorrect password error message. I went through the rigmarole of changing it a couple of times, same thing. Cleared out the cache, cookies etc - same problem.
I can log-on fine using Firefox on the same machine, problem is only with Safari. No changes made to the set up between the time it worked and when it didn't.
Any ideas?
Cool Mod
Joined: Apr 1998
Posts: 6,189
Likes: 0
From: 18nm N of LGW
Threat to Mac OS.
JUST in case you have not seen this.
'Rude awakening' for Mac users as cyber attack infects 550,000 of Apple's 'virus free' machines | Mail Online
PPP
'Rude awakening' for Mac users as cyber attack infects 550,000 of Apple's 'virus free' machines | Mail Online
PPP
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
From: Earth
It was always a misconception that a Mac was immune to attacks, it was mainly due to the relatively low numbers not making it worth while for the hacker.
Simple fact of the matter is that you do not need antivirus on a mac if you follow basic maintenance steps and common sense when on the internet. I have checked all my macs for the presence of that virus, on none of which I run an AV, and have not found it.
So can we please take the journalistic hype with a pinch of salt. Yes there is something to be aware of, and yes you should exercise caution (whether using a mac or any other computer). But the fact of the matter is that the underlying security posture of the mac platform remains broadly unchanged, and so the world is not going to end tomorrow !
Chief Bottle Washer
Joined: Sep 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 7,273
Likes: 1,439
From: PPRuNe
The new attack was spotted by Russian anti-virus vendor Dr Web.
'We conducted research to determine the scale of spreading of Trojan BackDoor.Flashback that infects computers running Mac OS X,' says the Russian antivirus vendor.
'We conducted research to determine the scale of spreading of Trojan BackDoor.Flashback that infects computers running Mac OS X,' says the Russian antivirus vendor.
Thread Starter
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 8,121
Likes: 686
From: Twickenham, home of rugby
I'm not saying that there isn't an element of vested interest, but I for one would hope that AV vendors are those most involved in research and investigation into virus threats, and thus be among the first to discover and publicize them.
SD
SD
Hippopotomonstrosesquipidelian title
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,825
Likes: 1
From: is everything
Antivirus company warns of virus. End user wags finger at "vested interest". Sigh. Sometimes, you have to accept information for what it is: information from a source that might actually have a clue.
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
From: Earth
I for one would hope that AV vendors are those most involved in research and investigation into virus threats, and thus be among the first to discover and publicize them.
However, yes, worth keeping an eye on the vendors blogs. The F-Secure blog, for example, is quite a good one. Well respected AV vendor and the blog is fairly independent in its writing style.
Last edited by mixture; 6th April 2012 at 16:35.
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,173
Likes: 0
From: .
what it really proves is the need to keep software - and especially operating systems - up to date and fully patched.
Apple actually patched the vulnerability some time ago - the fact that machines are still infested is due to the users failure or inability to install the patch.
And thats a problem that exists with ALL operating systems
Apple actually patched the vulnerability some time ago - the fact that machines are still infested is due to the users failure or inability to install the patch.
And thats a problem that exists with ALL operating systems
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,443
Likes: 1
From: Cambridge, England, EU
Simple fact of the matter is that you do not need antivirus on a mac if you follow basic maintenance steps and common sense when on the internet.