If there’s one thing Mac users like shoving into Windows users’ faces is that their devices rarely ever get infected with viruses and malware. Well, those days are ending, as there’s currently more and more threats being detected that specifically guns for Mac users, including the newly discovered piece of malware called Flashback. This nasty little bug is a Trojan and pretends to be an update to Adobe Flash, and once in a device goes after the automatic update functionality of XProtect, the anti-malware software built-in to OS X. Once disabled, the device won’t be able to receive updates and virus definitions and leaves the device wide open for further infection. What’s disturbing is that this is a common tactic of malware writers and might mean that a host of more lethal and effective bugs are on the way to exploit the vulnerable PCs left wide open by Flashback.
If you think your Mac is infected by this little bug, you can go here to try and remove it yourself, though be warned, the steps are not for the faint of heart.