On Thursday, Apple issued an update to its Xprotect malware definition, which detects the variant, known as MacGuard, or OSX.MacDefender.C in Apple-speak, according to Intego’s Mac Security blog.
Apple dragged its feet for weeks about the MacDefender virus, even instructing its AppleCare service people not to help users with the virus, or even acknowledge their computers had been infected.
“AppleCare does not provide support for removal of the malware. You should not confirm or deny whether the customer’s Mac is infected or not”, Apple said in a memo to employees.
Now, after issuing a fix to the MacDefender virus, Apple responded almost immediately to the new variant threat. But in typical Apple fashion, it did so discretely.
The MacDefender malware and its variants tricks Mac users into thinking their computers are infected with a virus and gets them to install bogus anti-virus software. Instead of relying on Apple to come up with a fix de jour, Mac users could use some common sense and not download the software, suggests Robert Dutt of PCWorld.
“Along with keeping software as up-to-date as possible, common sense goes a long way. Educating users not to fall for a scareware attack like MacDefender is a great first step, and is particularly important with Mac users, many of whom have been taught by the community, experience and Apple's marketing department that they are impervious to malware”, Dutt wrote.