Intego VirusBarrier Version 10.6 Review:Part I

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Let's start with the GOOD NEWS:

Intego VirusBarrier is the only anti-malware program I can recommend for Mac OS X. Its interface and features are unmatched by any similar program. The signature updates are regular and reliable. Intego stay right up-to-date with all Mac OS X malware. The program is 100% compatible with Snow Leopard. Ignore all reports to the contrary. For Mac users who want a top notch single-user anti-malware program, this is the only one. Nothing compares, except perhaps Sophos, which is only designed for network users.

The new VirusBarrier 10.6 version adds a bunch of new security features worth the upgrade price. Some features are redundant to those already in Safari and FireFox. The reverse firewall is the only new feature I care about. Reverse Firewalls stop dead any way to zombie your Mac. They also stop all software from 'phoning home'. I've been using Little Snitch for years and love it. The reverse firewall in VirusBarrier 10.6 is not as good as Little Snitch. But it's there and it's useful.

A new single user license for VirusBarrier costs $49.95 and protects two Macs. A new family license is $69.95 and protects five Macs.The 10.6 upgrade is potentially free for those who purchased VirusBarrier 10.5 on or after November 25, 2009 through April 13, 2010. See Intego for details. Otherwise, the upgrade is $34.95 for single users. A family pack upgrade is $59.95 for protecting five Macs. Every new or upgrade license includes a year's subscription of malware signatures.

Intego also provide an occasionally useful and intelligent Mac Security Blog.

Now the BAD NEWS:

1) Accompanying the 10.6 update is a new advertising campaign that makes several wrong and ridiculous claims consisting of what is traditionally called BULL SHITE or FUD. Enjoy:

"More and more malware is discovered every day. Macintosh computers face threats from viruses, Trojan horses, worms and more."

Incorrect! There are ONLY Trojan horses for Mac OS X. Period. The End. If you believe otherwise, you've been duped.

"VirusBarrier X6, the Lowest-Priced Mac Antivirus"

No. FREE would be 'The Lowest-Priced Mac Antivirus', and there are a few of those to choose from. See below.

"... simply visiting a booby-trapped web page can compromise your Mac."

This has never happened on Mac OS X in the wild or in a 'Crack A Mac' competition without an account user providing deliberate sabotage assistance. However it 'could' happen if a JavaScript or Java security hole wasn't patched in your web browser or operating system. (Readers of my posts know what contempt I have for the state of JavaScript).


I hope Intego have brains enough to dump the false advertising before they get sued. I despise FUD and would hate to have to put Intego on a par with Symantec, the renowned masters of anti-Mac security FUD and makers of easily the worst anti-malware for Mac.



2) Yearly malware subscriptions for VirusBarrier are required and expensive. $29.95 for one year. Yikes! A two year subscription is 50% off the second year at $44.90. If you're up for renewal and are using version 10.5, you might as well upgrade to 10.6 at $34.95 and get the included one year subscription, saving yourself $25.

3) Intego outright refuse to provide a list of malware detected and removed by VirusBarrier. That's idiotic and I've directly told them so. They don't care. Instead, I follow the imperfect but useful Threats Database provided by the PC Tools site, the makers of the up and coming competitor program iAntiVirus.

4) And of course, if you turn on the Real-Time Scanner feature, expect VirusBarrier to eat your CPU. So turn it off. You don't need it unless you're dealing with LUSERs, in which case all you have to do is prevent them from having access to an administrator account and password. It's seriously that simple.

CONCLUSION:

So what is VirusBarrier for? It protects you from LUSER behavior and lets you find and wipe out Windows malware you may be passing along to Windows users.

If you're a conscientious Mac user who checks the validity of all software you install, you don't need VirusBarrier to protect your Mac. There are less reliable free alternatives if you want to try them out, such as ClamXav and iAntiVirus. (Avoid MacScan, which is ultra-lame).

I'll be posting a detailed feature review in Part II after I test the new VirusBarrier 10.6.3 update.
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Security FAIL:When Apple Deserves A *WAKE UP!* Slap

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Apple are pulling an 'Adobe'. Got a security problem? Sit on it.

Even worse, there's already a solution! So are Apple either (A) OBLIVIOUS or (B) LAZY or (C) STUPID or (D) DGAS? Any one of the above is worth a good *WAKE UP!* slapping.

Here is the story, as presented by SANS in their NewsBites newsletter, Volume 12, Number 3. (Emphasis is mine):

--Proof-of-Concept Code Posted for Mac OS X Flaw
(January 8 & 12, 2010)
Proof-of-concept exploit code for a vulnerability in Mac OS X has been posted on the Internet. The buffer overflow flaw affects versions 10.5 and 10.6 of the Apple operating system and can be exploited remotely. The flaw lies in the libc/gdtoa code in a variety of software products. Apple has known about the vulnerability for seven months, but has not fixed it yet. It has already been fixed in OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Google and Mozilla.

http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=7942

http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222300150

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/12/critical_osx_security_bug/

Why this inexcusable? Because Apple incorporates code from FreeBSD and OpenBSD into Mac OS X. IOW, it is almost as easy as CUT & PASTE to repair this security hole in Mac OS X.

So what does it take to kick Apple into action? Proof-of-concept code! Let's watch how quickly Apple respond.

Cranial Cogitation:
A lot of people get upset at hackers who FUD Mac OS X, myself included. The thumb-in-your-eye juvenile arrogance some hackers spew is worthy of revulsion. Nonetheless, hackers remain a critical part of the computer community. I look at hackers as part of the essential diversity of the natural world. There is no such thing as a monoculture in nature. Without diversity, any natural system immediately fails. Similarly, without hackers, computer security would FAIL.


So thank you to hackers who take their free time to demonstrate skills in order to improve our computer community. Thank you for kicking Apple in the bollocks when they need it!

The volley is to Apple...





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Unencrypted Drone Data: More Fun With The NSA

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NEWSFLASH!
Dateline 2009-12-17.

US MILITARY DRONE DATA FOUND ON CAPTURED IRAQI INSURGENT'S COMPUTER LAPTOP!

How did it get there? No US military computer hacking evident!

REVELATION: Data stream was captured out of the air by the Iraqi insurgents!

PROBLEM: Data streaming to and from US military drones is UNENCRYPTED!

Massive DUH Factor!

Video data only? What if the control code for US drones is now in the hands of insurgents, if not the Taliban and Al Qaeda? IOW what if they can not only watch exactly what any US drone is seeing anywhere in Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan, but they also know exactly how to control the drones. Fun for them. Big black eye for the USA, specifically the NSA, the so-called National "Security" Agency.

Hey NSA! Just give away my country! Go on. Hand it over! Who needs Benedict Arnold when the US federal government is being run by a bunch of BLITHERING IDIOTS.

Odd how a security novice like me knows better than to allow unencrypted military data. The mind boggles. Seriously. Could we do worse?

Great to have you protecting our home NSA. Such a good NSA. Sit NSA! Sit! Roll over. Play dead. Cute little NSA! You get a treat. I have a great big bone for you.













For more NSA FAILS, enjoy articles published here: FAIL and FAIL and FAIL and FAIL and FAIL again.

And I thought the Bush League Era was over. Tsk tsk on me.
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UPDATE!

THE NSA KNEW ABOUT UNENCRYPTED DRONE DATA PROBLEM IN 1999!

We're living in the Realm of the Surreal.

Our Mission
The NSA/CSS core missions are to protect U.S. national security systems and to produce foreign signals intelligence information.

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The SANS Institute sez: NSA Helping to Harden Operating Systems

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I'm kind of surprised to read this blurb from the latest edition of the SANS NewsBites newsletter (Vol. 11 Num 92):

--NSA Helping to Harden Operating Systems

(November 7, 18 & 19, 2009)

In testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, National Security Agency (NSA) information assurance director Richard Schaeffer said that his agency helped Microsoft harden Windows 7 and that it is also helping Apple, Sun Microsystems, and Red Hat with similar endeavors. The NSA's involvement in the development process has led to speculation that backdoors will be built into the software to allow communications monitoring and interception. The NSA refutes those claims and says it is helping develop security guidelines and checklists. Schaeffer also said that agencies can protect their systems against 80 percent of known cyber attacks by following three steps: implementing best security practices, configuring networks properly, and monitoring networks effectively.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/19/nsa_enhanced_windows7_security/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141105/NSA_helped_with_Windows_7_development

http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/NSA-helps-Apple-Sun-and-Red-Hat-harden-their-systems-863889.html

http://fcw.com/Articles/2009/11/17/NSA-3-steps--better-cybersecurity.aspx

[Editor's Note (Pescatore): Ah, conspiracy theories. NSA and other government agencies have been involved in developing "gold" configuration definitions for standard software and network hardware products for a long time, along with the IT industry. Hardening in this case means better configuration and minimization of unneeded services.]

You can subscribe to the SANS newsletters HERE.

My concern about this news:

If the NSA is so good at hardening operating system security, and good at protecting their systems from 80% of known cyber attacks, how come the US federal government computer system has been PWNed by China and other countries every year since 1998, including 2009?

Read THIS list from the Center for Strategic & International Studies and have a heart attack. Included on the list are:

February 2009 - US Federal Aviation Administration hacked.

March 2009 - US federal computer containing plans for the new presidential helicopter hacked.

April 2009 - The revelation that the US power grid had been hacked.

May 2009 - US Homeland Security Information Network hacked.

So where was the NSA during all this? And the NSA has what skills to offer Microsoft, Apple, Sun and Red Hat? Just asking.

More likely the NSA is supplying their experiences in security FAILure, such as sharing what hacking methods were successful against federal computers during their watch. Just saying.

You know I'm itching to point out that switching to a proven secure operating system is always helpful. For example, why are the feds still using Windows?! It boggles my mind. Windows is dead last on the list of secure operating systems. The top 3 are still:

- OpenBSD
- FreeBSD
- Mac OS X (which incorporates BSD Unix)

But I'm just some laymen guy with a few science degrees and some decades of computer experience who rants about the ridiculous state of computer security in my country.
(o_0)
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Security Concerns After Installing Snow Leopard

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We all hopefully know that, at this time, Mac OS X is the safest commercial GUI OS on the planet. But in the spirit of perfection, here are some problems I found with the default installation of Snow Leopard. Some of them are very bad. Some are merely worrisome.

1) The firewall is OFF. So TURN IT ON!!! You can do this in the Security preferences.
--> I'm very annoyed with Apple on this blunder. Firewall protection is fundamental these days. A good scolding is in order. I have no doubt the professional security experts will do the job for me.

2) Automatic login is ON. So TURN IT OFF!!! You can do this is the Accounts preferences.
--> Again, Me = very annoyed. Again this is fundamental. Scold scold scold. You'd think no one at Apple had ever studied the security hell known as Windows. Both firewall protection and login protection were lacking in Windows for years, leading to major hacking and cracking.

3) In Accounts preferences, under the 'Guest Account', the checkbox "Allow guests to connect to shared folder" is ON. If you have no interest in guests doing anything on your Mac, turn this off.
--> If you are on a LAN with other people and want to allow sharing, leaving this on is important. But if you are on your own at home, it's safer IMHO to just leave this off until such time as you want to use it. Mobile laptop users most likely want this off by default until such time as they return to their LAN. I would have much preferred Apple left this off by default after installation.

4) In the Accounts preferences, Login Options, "Display login window as:" is set to "List of Users". I suggest you change this to "Name and Password".
--> Family computer users should ignore me on this one. At home, who cares. But if your computer is going out into the wild, I like the added security of forcing any would-be hackers to have to guess at BOTH your username AND password. Why give them a break and give away usernames?

5) In the Security preferences, General tab, "Require a password to unlock each System Preferences Pane" is turned OFF. I like this checked ON.
--> This is one of those fiddly things that maximize security but can also be annoying. Turning it on means that no rogue software running on your Mac can play around with your system preferences. As soon as it did you'd see boxes popping up requesting your administrator password. Theoretically this could happen with one of the current Trojan horses for Mac OS X. So to play it safe, check it on. But it's not a major deal. On the other hand, it's not exactly paranoia either.

6) This one is for MacBooks and iMacs only: In the Security preferences, General tab, at the bottom of the window are the setup switches for your infrared remote. The remote can be used to access Front Row, among other things. After installation it is important that you 'Pair' your specific remote with your Mac. Otherwise, as it says in settings, "This computer will work with any available remote." That's BAD. Therefore, hit the "Pair" button and go through the process.
--> This is a very good chore to follow immediately after your Snow Leopard installation. If you are extra paranoid about having a remote, or you lost your remote, you can always check ON "Disable remote control infrared receiver."

7) Software Update preferences are set to "Download updates automatically". Please turn this OFF.
--> Allowing your computer to automatically download anything is BAD. It has already been proven that it is possible to hijack a server address, have it fake being an update server, then have it spew at you malware downloads. No, it has never happened to Macs. But it can. Therefore, only YOU should approve ANYTHING that is downloaded. No auto-downloads EVER. OK?

8) Safari preferences, in the General tab, "Open 'safe' files after download" is checked ON. Please turn this OFF and leave it off forever.
--> Much as it is nice to have .zip and .dmg files open up for us immediately after they download, get out of the habit. This is another really BAD IDEA in all cases. It is as bad as auto-downloads. Instead, you personally want to open anything you have downloaded.

Imagine this: Some malware was somehow downloaded to your computer, via Safari, and automatically opens up its downloaded file. There it is in front of you in a window and you think everything is OK and run the application that was inside. You may have just infected yourself with the malware. Therefore, making sure that only you open anything you personally download is important as part of a deliberate process of verifying that you are not installing a Trojan or other malware. And remember to always verify a file or application is 100% legitimate before you download it or open it.

Once we get into the habit of clickity-click on every little thing, we can get ourselves into trouble. Some people say that going through all these extra steps of caring about exactly what you are doing can become drudgery and you end up doing clickity-click anyway. Nope! That never happens with me. Instead what I found is that I got into the habit of being careful. That is the entire point, and making that point a habit is very good for all of us.

There is some other minor stuff of concern in Snow Leopard, but I need a break. You can breathe now and/or break into joyful LaUGhTeR at all these extraneous security precautionary maniaism stuff things. It's OK. I'll just go cry quietly into my hanky. I can take it. (;_;)

Windows users have to be incredibly meticulous about all this security rigmarole. Every little nook and cranny of Windows can be a security hole. We Mac OS X users get to relax, mostly, about security regiments. At the moment, the worst we can do is download and install a Trojan and get out Mac zombied. That's all! ;-) If we think about being careful, no Trojans can get us.

Nonetheless, I'm attempting to show other Mac users how to be as safe as possible. Therefore, all of the above list applies if you are security conscious. I use myself as a guinea pig to see what it takes to be stealthed and defended to the MAX, and to see if I can stand it. The answer is yes, I can stand it. But I woudn't wish it on my granny!

Check this out: I have Little Snitch popping up asking if this app can go do that on the Internet. I have the mess known as 'JavaScript' turned OFF by default in my web browser. I only turn it on only for trusted websites. My browser is set to never accept cookies from third party sites. That stops Tracker Cookies. I read up on the latest security problems and updates via Apple, Intego, Secunia and SANS, among others. That means I've always got the lastest versions of Flash, Shockwave, AIR and Adobe Reader installed in order to avoid Adobe security vulnerabilities. The same goes for FireFox, QuickTime, iTunes, etc. I have Intego VirusBarrier installed, kept up-to-date with malware signatures and always running. I also have both ClamXav and iAntiVirus freeware installed (mostly for testing). And there's more! (0_0)

That's just me playing with Mac security for my interest and yours. You could ignore all this stuff, except the advice about Trojan horses!!!, and be happy as can be. You've got a Mac.

But there are ways to be SAFER. That's why I write this blog. Put it to use as you will. Hopefully you won't actually need any of this stuff. But maybe you will...

Share and Enjoy!
Glad to be of service!
Nothing ever goes wrong at
Cirus Cybernetics Corpororpororpor*@%

;-Derek
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The Anti-Mac Security FUD-Fest Is Fun For All! Rah! Rah! Rah!

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Man, I am getting a lot of traction out of that moronic article at CNET, not worth reading HERE. For me, it really is fascinating to sit down and contemplate what is actually going on in computer security right now. Here are some of the elements:

I) 7ista, aka Vista Service Pack 7, is now insighting cacophonous riots of anger because its security is still terrible. A net acquaintance posted these URLs over at MacDailyNews:

Cybercrime Rises and Vista 7 is Already Open to Hijackers

Vista 7: Broken Apart Before Arrival

Department of Homeland Security ‘Poisoned’ by Microsoft; Vista 7 is Open to Hijackers Again

Researchers show how to take control of Windows 7

That last article is about how to 'PWN' 7ista. Not good. Google provides a few hundred thousand similar complaints.

II) Meanwhile, the Anti-Mac Security FUD-Fest continues apace, thanks to our usual line-up of hacker pals. Mac OS X is already the best GUI OS for computer security, in part thanks to integrating the two best CLI OSes, OpenBSD and FreeBSD. The result: Mac OS X progresses forward to become BETTER than the BEST! That's good. Thank you Dr. Charlie Miller and friends.

III) So of course we get dumbass articles about how nasty bad and laughable Mac OS X security is, right? (o_0)

It's a strategy with many purposes, perpetrated by many sources. Figuring out the motivations behind the deceit is quite intriguing. Laughing at it all is fun! It lowers your blood pressure. Live longer and laugh at the clowns.


Here is yet-another post I made, this time at MacDailyNews.com, regarding the FUD-Fest and Microsoft. It sort of encapsulates it all:

Microsoft have put in place some modern methods of deterring hackers and crackers. They had to. They had the motivation. Their operating system is a bloated catastrophe of spaghetti code that is well beyond their comprehension. They can't fix it. They've made many attempts over the last 15 years and consistently failed. They gave up. Vista is the proof. 7ista is icing on the proof.

Should Apple add in these modern security measures? Damned right!

But is it a BFD? Will Mac OS X roll over and DIE? Will THE BIG ONE virus hit Mac OS X and make us all go running home sobbing to mummy? Of course not!

Apple's attention to security has been increasing exponentially over the last two years. This month's security updates were the most in Apple's history. But as is typical with humans, the house has to be on fire before you pour water on it and fix the cause. Mac OS X does not have a faulty electrical system that will burn the house down. Apple know that. We know that. So what's the motivation? Planning ahead takes extra prodding. Prod Apple and they respond eventually.

This is one reason I actually praise the Anti-Mac FUD-fest we've enjoyed since Symantec insighted it exactly four years ago. It has hurt no one. It has inspired Apple. We benefitted.

We the customers know we already had an incredibly secure operating system. It's based on the two most secure operating systems in existence bar none: OpenBSD and FreeBSD. So why not make it EVEN BETTER?!

Let's go MaNIaCaL!
Go Apple Go!
Add steal bar reinforcement to the castle walls!
Add boiling oil caldrons!
Put alligators in the mote!
Install the rotating knives!
Hire some Cenobites!

Conclusion: We win any which way you look at it. If users of the less secure operating systems can't deal with it, oh so sad for them.

As long as we keep our eye on the ball, which is keeping our computers as safe as possible, our progress toward better than best will continue. :-)

Rah! Rah! Rah!
Go! Apple! Go!
Yayyyyyyy APPLE!

Amusing, eh? Behind all the 'FEEL BAD DAMMIT!' garbage is not just a silver lining. The clouds are bogus, a theatre prop. Knock them over and there is the golden sun shining on all us Mac users.


OK, sober up! Enough euphoria! We have 21 Trojans to avoid. There continue to be security flaws in Apple stuff that deserve our attention. ClamAV still needs to further catch up with Mac malware. Mac OS X is not perfect, never will be. Be attentive.

For my next article I intend (for whatever that's worth) to provide another monthly summary of Mac OS X security patches. Bring your caffeine.

:-Derek
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BONUS EUPHORIA: SNOW LEOPARD

If you haven't read the news, check this out:

• Snow Leopard has built-in Trojan horse MALWARE DETECTION! Its database is auto-updating! Right now it only has two Trojan signatures, yawn. But expect improvement. And no, Apple didn't stick in someone else's anti-malware engine, least of all Symantec's (gag! gag! puke!! puke!!).

• Snow Leopard installs just fine over TIGER! I thought this had to be bogus, but I've read it from several sources now and they weren't just quoting each other. It's a fact that even Apple verified. So if you don't have Leopard already, get the $29 (or $24 at some stores!) Snow Leopard disk and go to it! Well, when you're ready. There are some application incompatibilities.

• Snow Leopard is FAST! That's faster than Leopard! Bless you Apple.

• Snow Leopard is SMALLER! Saving at least 5 Gigabytes of space on your Mac appears to be normal. Ever heard of that? Try that move Microsoft.

-> But of course note that Snow Leopard is for INTEL MACS ONLY.

More on Snow Leopard in a couple weeks once I've ripped it apart, with my CLAWS.
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A Primer on Trojan Horses and Their Aliases

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There actually is a standard naming system for malware. But very few anti-malware developers care. Therefore, we end up with a bunch of names for exactly the same malware. The CNET POS article mentioned previously, not worth reading HERE, demonstrates the problem. Here are some translations. I list the standard name first, then the extraneous names after:

The Trojan.OSX.RSPlug series is aka "DNSChanger" and "Jahlav" and "Puter".

Trojan.OSX.Lamzev is aka "Malez"

Trojan.OSX.PokerStealer is aka "Corpref"

The Trojan.OSX.iServices series is the fourth current Trojan type for Mac OS X. I'm unaware of any aliases so far.

Scan backward through my previous posts for coverage on each of these Trojans.




Count with me!





As of today:

• The RSPlug series has variants A through P. That equals 16 variants. (When I checked last week there were 13 variants, so some mean old crackers have been very busy).
• The Lamzev Trojan has no variants. Add 1.
• The iServices series has variants A through C. That equals 3 variants. (The C variant is recent).
• The PokerStealer Trojan has no variants. Add 1.

Count them all together and what do we got?

The number 21!
That's 21 Trojans!

BwaHaHa!

I am using the iAntiVirus Threat Database maintained by PC Tools as my source. Their list of Mac malware has flaws, but at least they have one. Who else bothers? Certainly not Intego! (Ahem! hint! hint!)

Just for comparison: I was hanging out at the ClamXav forum yesterday and someone pointed out that as of June there were 574,043 malware signatures in ClamAV. Let's see... take away 21... that's somewhere around 574,022 Windows malware in the wild. A little more math and that comes to 1 Mac OS X malware for every 27,334 Windows malware. Wait! Wait! What was that?!

1 : 27,334!

So who was the dope who thought up that 'security by obscurity' myth? I don't think so.
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