Flashback botnets, have already gulped about 300,000 machines in the U.S and Canada alone. And the spread statistics is alarming considering the mode of transmission via traffic distribution systems.
The BackDoor.Flashback Trojan has been confirmed by Kaspersky Lab, with the latest variant termed, Trojan-Dowloader.OSX.Flashfake.ab.
The confirmation report indicates that, "Flashfake is distributed through infected websites as Java Applet that disguises as an update for Adobe Flash Player, with the main component being a Trojan-Downloader that continuously connects to its command-and-control servers, while its awaits new components for execution".
Although, Apple's Mac had been the target of major malwares as a result of its growing popularity, this current attack is perhaps the largest so far.
Apple, however, has declined to comment on the latest findings, but hinted that a patch will follow in the upcoming version of the OS due this summer.
Also, the company revealed a future plan to tackle such security threats by a feature it called Gatekeeper, billed to be introduced in the next version. The tool will among other things ensure that developers register with Apple, and users have the option to keep their computers from installing software that has not been duly registered.
