Mac OS X to get Anti-Malware Update Soon to Address MacDefender Scam

Apple is going to release an anti-malware software update “in the coming days” according to a newly released Apple Knowledge Base article. The update will address the MacDefender phishing malware that we showed you how to get rid of recently.

The update will address all existing versions of MacDefender, which also has several variants called “MacProtector” and “MacSecurity”. here is the quote from Apple’s support page (emphasis mine):

In the coming days, Apple will deliver a Mac OS X software update that will automatically find and remove Mac Defender malware and its known variants. The update will also help protect users by providing an explicit warning if they download this malware.

The knowledge base article on Apple.com describes MacDefender as:

A recent phishing scam has targeted Mac users by redirecting them from legitimate websites to fake websites which tell them that their computer is infected with a virus. The user is then offered Mac Defender “anti-virus” software to solve the issue.

This “anti-virus” software is malware (i.e. malicious software). Its ultimate goal is to get the user’s credit card information which may be used for fraudulent purposes.

MacDefender has garnered a fair amount of publicity lately, creating an artificial scare that malware was somehow a problem on the Mac OS X platform (it’s not). While Apple was initially silent about the issue it looks like they are going to squash the problem directly, so maybe we can finally stop hearing about it.

Hat tip to MacStories for finding this.