Apple Mac users have been warned that a new Trojan virus is capable of infecting their computers and stealing passwords to services such as Google, PayPal and online banking.
The fake security certificate used by Flashback.G
The new malware is a "particularly insidious" strain of Flashback, a Trojan virus first discovered in September, and is said to be increasing the infection rate.
It tries to take covert control of Macs using three methods. Two exploit vulnerabilities in Java, a software language commonly used by websites to deliver interactive elements, and require no intervention from the user to succeed.
If Java is not installed or all its security patches are up-to-date, however, the new variant, Flashback.G, attempts to trick users into installing it by presenting a fake security certificate that looks like it comes from Apple, according to Intego, a computer security firm.
"Most users won’t understand what this means, and click on 'Continue' to allow the installation to continue," the firm said.
Mac users running previous versions of OS X, such as Snow Leopard, are most at risk, because Java was included as part of the installation package.source
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