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Some serious malware is out in the wild this week. But it is a concern for Windows AND Mac users. We’ll tell you how to protect yourself whichever platform you are running.
Mobile App of the Week:
- Minds of Modern Math, from IBM
Nerd News:
- Founder of the Commodore PC, Jack Tramiel, remembered as pioneer of the PC era.
- FaceBook buys Instagram for a cool $1 Billion.
- Magic Kingdom modeled in Minecraft
- There is a critical Windows zero-day bug that hackers are exploiting. Microsoft has a patch. Make sure you get it.
- The most serious Mac malware ever (aka, “Flashback”) is in the wild. Make sure you are protecting yourself. You can check your Mac to see if you are infected by following the instructions at security firm F-Secure. The vulnerability exists in the Apple version of Java. Oracle patched the problem months ago but Apple had yet to address the problem until April 3, when it issued a patch for the vulnerability. It then released a second patch on April 5. Apple stopped using Oracle’s version of Java a few years ago.
- Is it still a good idea to go without protection on your Mac? If you are using OpenDNS on your router, they will automatically block the trojan from getting to your Mac.
- What alternatives are there?
- Norton AntiVirus for Mac from Symantec ($50 US)
- iAntiVirus (free) – only checks for threats targeted at Macs
- Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition (free)
- Mac App Store (~nine products if you search for “anti virus”). Read the reviews. Read other reviews, too, before you buy.
This Week in Nerd History:
- April 14, 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40pm. The ship sinks the following morning with the loss of 1,517 lives.
- April 14, 1956 – In Chicago, Illinois, videotape is first demonstrated.