New Mac OS X Backdoor Trojan (BlackHole RAT) in Development [Updated]
A ‘trojan’ targeting Mac OS X users, dubbed BlackHole RAT, appears to be in development. It’s a variant of a well-known series of malware called Remote Access Tools (RAT) that primarily targeted Windows. It should be noted that on its own, the trojan does not exploit OSX, instead relying on the user to unknowingly ‘install’ it. This is often done under the guise of pirated software, video plugins on porn sites, or from other non-reputable software sources. Although the details are not entirely clear, it appears like your computer needs to be directly accessible from the internet.
This ‘trojan’ (note the intended air quotes) has been blown out of proportion and does not pose a significant level of risk. Macs are not ‘less secure’ because of this tool, as it’s something that could be coded by any 14-year old with a relatively basic knowledge of programming. It’s essentially a normal application whose purpose is to accept connections from its owner, and allow them to perform actions on your computer, etc.
Hit the jump for the full details, a video and download link. Read more
Wikileaks Releases 250k US Embassy Cables (Chinese Gov’t Responsible for Google Attacks)
Wikileaks, who are currently the target of a massive DDoS attack, has just released 251,287 leaked US embassy cables (dubbed Cablegate). Mirrors available here.
The cables, which date from 1966 up until the end of February this year, contain confidential communications between 274 embassies in countries throughout the world and the State Department in Washington DC. 15,652 of the cables are classified Secret.
The embassy cables will be released in stages over the next few months. The subject matter of these cables is of such importance, and the geographical spread so broad, that to do otherwise would not do this material justice.
The cables show the extent of US spying on its allies and the UN; turning a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuse in “client states”; backroom deals with supposedly neutral countries; lobbying for US corporations; and the measures US diplomats take to advance those who have access to them.
One cable reveals that China’s Politbureau was responsible for the attacks against Google China back in January 2010.
[Update] A torrent is available to download the entire Cablegate site in a single archive for your personal reading pleasure (magnet links).
BackTrack 4 r2 “Nemesis” Released
[Update 10/5/2011] BT4r2 is now superceded by the new and improved BackTrack 5!
BackTrack 4 r2 (codename “Nemesis”) has been released and brings a number of updates aimed at improving “desktop responsiveness, better hardware support, broader wireless card support, streamlined work environment”.
Updates include an updated kernel (2.6.35.8) with improved wireless support, USB 3.0, faster responsiveness, pruned and new packages, and a new BackTrack wiki for more documentation and support.
Users with existing BT4 installs/VMs can simply perform an update using:
apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade
BackTrack 4 r2 is available as a 2GB ISO, or 2.4GB VMWare image, on the downloads page (the BT4 download links appear to have been removed in favour of BT5).
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