
Apple users targeted in first known Mac ransomware campaign - devhxinc
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-ransomware-idUSKCN0W80VX
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afloatboat
From what I've read it only seems to affect people that downloaded
Transmission via the website and not those who used the in app updater. [1]

I've updated to 2.90 the day it came out and don't seem to have the process
running.

[1] [http://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/06/mac-ransomware-
transmiss...](http://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/06/mac-ransomware-
transmission/)

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CamatHN
From the article: To check whether you have the malware installed:

Using “Activity Monitor” preinstalled in OS X, check whether any process named
“kernel_service” is running. If so, double check the process, choose the “Open
Files and Ports” and check whether there is a file name like
“/Users//Library/kernel_service”. If so, the process is KeRanger’s main
process. We suggest terminating it with “Quit -> Force Quit”

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cpach
See
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11234589](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11234589)

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sccxy
Pretty sure that Transmission is not the only application infected. Waiting
for more bad news :(

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toyg
Uh? Do you know anything specific?

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valine
It's actually kind of surprising this is the first occurrence of ransomware on
Apple's platform. It seems Macs are still, at least to some degree, protected
by security through obscurity.

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briandear
Is that true? Or is it that the Mac App Store makes this sort of thing very
difficult? Say what you want about walled gardens, but for the vast majority
of users it does have value.

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valine
Hardly anyone uses the Mac App Store. The iPhone App Store is orders of
magnitude more successful. From a developers perspective it's all but
impossible to turn a reasonable profit. Source:
[http://www.macrumors.com/2015/05/07/redacted-mac-app-
profits...](http://www.macrumors.com/2015/05/07/redacted-mac-app-profits/)

~~~
nicky0
Interesting article. What makes me laugh is that people thought $12,000 was a
reasonable daily profit for an app that draws black boxes on a photo.

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valine
What's shocking is that 87 downloads makes you the #8 paid app in the MAS.

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hnmcs
Came expecting a pun regarding old files / applications that failed to work
after a forced system OS upgrade.

Was disappointed.

Not that Apple is distinctly notable for ransoming your one-time files and
applications; on the contrary I've heard more often about people having issues
when their Windows / Other OS reaches the end of its support.

edit: It was sarcasm and I know your downvote policies, etc, etc. I just know
you guys sometimes roll with the funny punnies, and I was seeing if I had what
it took this once. Maybe next time I'll nail a good one though, with a little
more creativity and a little more funny to it. Contentless statements can
exist here, and I want to learn to make them.

~~~
pdabbadabba
> Contentless statements can exist here, and I want to learn to make them.

Now _there 's_ an aspiration. Reach for the stars, buddy!

