

There's nothing worse than perusing the Internet only to have your computer slow to a crawl as your antivirus software "thinks" about your decisions. Not all antivirus software is created equal, so there are many factors to consider. Choosing an antivirus software that's designed for your OS and tailored to your computing behaviors is important. The self-proclaimed Apple fan stole roughly 90GB of confidential data from the iPad and iPhone maker.Whether your computer or device runs Android, Mac or Windows, cybercriminals have sophisticated attacks to target machines across operating systems (OS). Teenage Apple hacker avoids jail for 'hacky hack hack' attack The evolving IoT botnet is able to compromise an impressive array of architectures. Meet Torii, a new IoT botnet far more sophisticated than Mirai variants Whether you're in the office or on the road, a VPN is still one of the best ways to protect yourself on the big, bad internet.įBI solves mystery surrounding 15-year-old Fruitfly Mac malwareįruitfly malware author used port scanning with weak or no passwords to identify potential victims. VPN services 2018: The ultimate guide to protecting your data on the internet Mac users are advised to review the service ports their Macs are exposing online, and either shut them down or set up strong passwords to prevent attackers from barging in.

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Any attacker, regardless of the malware he plans to install can use this technique. Port scanning isn't something that only a hacker wielding the Fruitfly malware can exploit. This tactic served him well for 14 years until one lucky detection at the Case Western Reserve University. He then logged into these remote systems via the open service ports and installed and hid Fruitfly on users' computers. In other words, Durachinsky had used a technique know as port scanning to identify internet or network-connected Macs that were exposing remote access ports with weak or no passwords.

The attack vector included the scanning and identification of externally facing services, to include the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP, port 548), RDP or other VNC, SSH (port 22), and Back to My Mac (BTMM), which would be targeted with weak passwords or passwords derived from third party data breaches. US authorities say he created the Fruitfly Mac malware (Quimitchin by some AV vendors) back in 2003 and used it until 2017 to infect victims and take control off their Mac computers to steal files, keyboard strokes, watch victims via the webcam, and listen in on conversations via the microphone.Ĭourt documents reveal Durachinsky wasn't particularly interested in financial crime but was primarily focused on watching victims, having collected millions of images on his computer, including many of underage children. The man, 28-year-old Phillip Durachinsky, was arrested in January 2017, and charged a year later, in January 2018. The FBI has solved the final mystery surrounding a strain of Mac malware that was used by an Ohio man to spy on people for 14 years.
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