O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Safari

  • Cocktail 5.0.2 (Lion Edition) released

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    On Wednesday, shareware developer Maintain released version 5.0 of Cocktail (Lion Edition), Cocktail, the popular shareware utility program that allows for additional Mac OS X system tests. The new version, a 2.2 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and features:

    – Addresses compatibility issues with the latest versions of Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome.

    – Added clearing of the Revir, Imuler and Flashback trojans.

    – Miscellaneous bug fixes and overall improvements.

    – Added OS X 10.7.2 compatibility.

    – Updated Automator actions.

    Cocktail 5.0.2 retails for a US$19.00 shareware registration fee and requires Mac OS X 10.7 or later to install and run.

  • DevilRobber trojan horse for Mac OS X discovered, controls GPU, steals user data

    While there may not be that many viruses out there for the Mac, there are still Trojan horse apps to make life a little bit harder.

    Here’s another.

    Per AppleInsider, a new Trojan horse hidden in a Mac OS X application can steal sensitive user data and take control of the computer’s GPU to generate Bitcoins, a form of currency used online.

    In a report released on Saturday, security firm Sophos reported that DevilRobber, a Trojan horse that can steal sensitive user data, was found hidden inside copies of Graphic Converter 7.4 downloaded from bit-torrent file-sharing sites.

    DevilRobber, also known as “OSX/Miner-D,” can steal usernames and passwords and is capable of spying on users by taking screenshots of their activity and sending the images online. In addition, the Trojan is able to run scripts that can copy information “regarding truecrypt data, Vidalia (TOR plugin for Firefox), your Safari browsing history, and .bash_history” to a dump.txt file.

    The malware has also been found to search for “pthc” files, a term that is used to describe pre-teen hardcore pornography. It is not known at this time whether one of the secondary features of DevilRobber is to find traces of child abuse on affected computers.

    Another unusual feature for the new Trojan is its capability of taking over a Mac’s GPU in order to generate Bitcoins, a digital currency that can be used to perform online instant payments without the oversight of a banking authority.

    Users generate Bitcoins on personal computers after installing Bitcoin Miner, an application that’s compatible with Mac, Windows and Linux systems. Once obtained, Bitcoins are stored in the user’s digital wallet and can be used for future online payments. Bitcoins can also be exchanged for actual currency with the current exchange rate reportedly valuing one Bitcoin at US$3.20.

    In addition to harnessing the power of the GPU to generate more Bitcoins, DevilRobber can also steal the user’s existing Bitcoin wallet if it finds the appropriate files.

    Sophos suggests users be aware of signs that point to a malware attack. For example, a malware attack can result in the slowdown of overall computing performance, with affected users reporting sluggishness as the Trojan steals GPU resources for mining purposes.

    In order to avoid unwanted DevilRobber installations, Mac users are advised to refrain from downloading software via untrusted sources, even if they appear to be legitimate. It is not known at this time whether other Mac applications available on torrent sites come bundled with the new Trojan horse.

    Apple has yet to acknowledge the new threat, though common anti-virus programs are able to detect DevilRobber.

    The new malware is the most recent in a wave of programs targeting an increasing number of Mac owners. Apple recently cleared a threat from a non-functional Chinese Trojan horse that disguised itself as a PDF download.

    Recently various instances of a different, more advanced malware program emerged. “Flashback” posed as an Adobe Flash installer, with a later upgraded version programmed to disable the default OS X anti-malware protection thus leaving systems vulnerable to subsequent attacks.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Apple releases iOS 5 golden master, updated Mac OS X 10.7.2 build to developer community

    Amidst yesterday’s hubbub about the iPhone 4S, Apple on Tuesday issued the golden master build of iOS 5 to members of its development community, along with a new build of Mac OS X 10.7.2.

    Per AppleInsider, sources close to the story said the golden master build of iOS 5 is known as “Build 9A334”. It is said to be labeled as a GM, or golden master, seed, which means that it is likely to be identical to the final version of the software Apple will release to the public.

    Those people said there are a handful of fixes contained in the golden master build. For example, the GM build of iOS 5 reportedly fixes an issue that existed when deleting a song or video from the Music and Videos applications on an iOS device, causing it to crash.

    Developers are also notified that starting with iOS 5, AirPlay is enabled by default for video content available on applications and websites. Those with access to the golden master have also been advised that the WebKit framework in the latest build more closely matches the engine used in Apple’s Safari 5.1 desktop Web browser.

    iOS 5 will be released to the public next Wednesday, Oct. 12. It will be compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, first-generation iPad, fourth-generation iPod touch, and third-generation iPod touch.

    On Wednesday Apple released a new build of Mac OS X 10.7.2, known as “Build 11C73”. It is said to not contain any known issues. The forthcoming update to Lion will add support for iCloud.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Apple releases Mac OS X 10.7.2 build 11C62 to developer community, includes additional iCloud tools

    System updates: they’re a good thing.

    Per AppleInsider, sources close to the story have stated that Apple has released a new beta of Mac OS X 10.7.2 was supplied to developers on Thursday with no known issues.

    The latest build, coined “11C62”, and weighs in at 740.2MB in its delta form. It comes less than a week after the last beta of Mac OS X 10.7.2 was supplied for testing.

    The latest Lion betas have included iCloud integration, while previous builds required that developers download a separate installer to test Apple’s forthcoming syncing and storage service.

    The new beta comes the same day that Apple has warned developers it will reset all iCloud data. The reset is being done in preparation for the launch of the new free service.

    Apple has not officially announced a specific release date for iCloud, and instead revealed in June that the service will become available this fall. It will store content such as photos, e-mail and contacts, and wirelessly push it to devices, including Macs, iPhones and iPads.

    People familiar with the beta issued on Thursday said the latest build again has no known issues. The focus areas are said to remain the same as they were previously, and include Address Book, Graphics Drivers, iCal, iChat, iCloud, the Mac App Store, Mail, MobileMe, Safari, Spotlight and Time Machine.

    Mac OS X 10.7.2 will likely be released when iCloud and iOS 5 are made available to the public. They are expected to be released at an event rumored to be scheduled for Oct. 4, where Apple is also expected to introduce its fifth-generation iPhone.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Adobe Reader updated to 10.1.1

    On Wednesday, Adobe released version 10.1.1 of its Adobe Reader application. The update, which can also be snagged through the Adobe Update Utility, adds the following fixes and changes:

    – Acrobat fails to display Rupee symbol.

    – Unable to see the last item in drop down list when navigating through list with down arrow.

    – Custom scan does not work with Acrobat X.

    – Comments and Annotations do not work properly in Workspace launched via Safari on a Mac OS.

    – A signed PDF can cause the viewer in a browser to crash.

    – Submission of signed data in Acrobat X is slow.

    – Unable to input using Japanese IME after using drop box with protected mode.

    – Opening a PDF with “CR” in its name gives an error to accept license after disabling Protected Mode.

    – Closing a form in a browser may cause the browser to hang.

    – Protected mode on XP: IME mode remained Half-alphanumeric mode automatically and cannot change back to Hiragana mode again after move mouse focus from dropdown field to Japanese text filed.

    – Form data cannot be exported to CSV in some cases.

    – Portfolio behavior different from 9.x with respect to coversheets.

    – formBridge events not firing in Portfolio loaded within Reader plug-in inside LiveCycle workspace.

    – Touching up text causes ligatures to be dropped.

    – IE 6 crashes with magnifier when filling out a text field of a table in a form.

    – Reader X call to LiveCycle server fails when submitting an authentication call via SOAP.

    – PDFMaker hangs while converting an attached Word file with hidden text to pdf.

    – PDFMaker for Office 2007 duplicates headings when both normal and custom headings exist in the same document.

    – PDFMaker for MS Office 2003: ES2 (LC 9.0) rendition removes spaces between the Kanji character and the English character while converting an MS word file to PDF.

    – PDF was displayed in browser window directly instead of embedded in a ZCI html container when ‘Enable Javascript for this document one time.

    – Acrobat Updater Resets “Adobe PDF” PostScript Printer Driver Instance Settings.

    – The Share Pane has been renamed to “Tools Pane”. The Tools Pane has been renamed to the “Extended Pane” for Adobe Reader (this is only not for Acrobat). This change is designed to facilitate future additions and enhancements to the Tools area.

    – The Welcome screen (with the recent file list) can be disabled via three methods:

    – Improved stability and integration with MS Outlook on 64 bit systems. 8.x products redirect users to Reader 10.x downloads if new updates are available. Note that 8.x will be end-of-lifed in November, 2011.

    – Major changes in the user JavaScript and global variables features as described in the Application Security Guide. If you use these features, you must make changes to your distributed products.

    Acrobat Reader 10.1.1 and Acrobat Pro requires an Intel-based processor and Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later to install and run.

    If you’ve tried the new versions and noticed any differences, please let us know what you think.