Apple have been battling the ruthless makers of OSX malware tool MacDefender. They issued a patch to stop users from accidentally installing it, and several hours later the malware makers issued an update to bypass it.

Apple are keen to ensure that their user base isn't under threat from this malicious piece of software so they have issued a new entry for “OSX.MacDefender.C” via automatic updates which gets added to the Xprotect.plist file that contains the signatures for identifying malware.

The malware makers are likely to update the software again today to counter this recent update however it shows that Apple are taking this particular threat very seriously and are automatically updating their users to counter the problem. Of course, as Windows users will already know, this becomes a constant game of ‘cat and mouse' with continual releases and updates.

What we are learning however, is more serious. OSX is now a primary target for virus and malware creators who are using the growing platform as a means to get credit card information and quick money. While many PC users may own a Mac laptop, it appears that the general user base aren't quite as aware of ‘malware' – which means they are currently a very good (and somewhat naive) target.

KitGuru says: OSX is under fire recently, and we can see within a year that Apple users will be using more and more security software to keep their machines safe. This is good news for Symantec and other antivirus/spyware software developers.

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