Immunet For Mac Users

[ritchie58]

There was a time when Apple's Macintosh users didn't have to worry much about malware since almost all malware developers targeted Microsoft's Windows Operating System platforms for the simple reason that there were so many more Windows users than Mac users. More profit potential for the bad guys. With the increasing popularity of Macintosh so came the increased interest of the malware writers. With the emergence of the Flashback virus, specifically targeting Mac users last week, proves this unequivocally. Although Apple is scurrying to do damage control it is estimated by the security firm Symantec that as many as 140,000 Mac users may still be infected with this personal data stealing backdoor Trojan as of this writing. Under these circumstances developing a version of Immunet that will be compatible with a Mac machine would certainly be beneficial to the Mac community so it would seem and potentially a profitable one for Sourcefire if it proved to be a success.

[Rob.T]

Hi Richie, we've had several discussions about developing a Mac version of Immunet, and although it's on our radar we almost certainly won't be doing anything for Mac this year.

[ritchie58]

That's rather unfortunate for Mac users. I just read an article that more malware is on the way for Mac users and that Apple is being criticized for not doing enough to protect it's customer base. The unfortunate success of Flashback will not go unnoticed by other malware developers. The article also stated that Apple is at least 10 years behind Microsoft as far as dealing with malware infections. That makes a lot of sense since Microsoft has had to deal with the problem for years and Apple hasn't until recently.

[ritchie58]

I bet it would take a lot of R&D to get a Mac compatible version ready to roll out and that, of course, takes a considerable amount of time and money. There also would be licensing agreements with Apple that would have to be ironed out no doubt. If Mac systems continue to get nailed I think it still could be a viable future product worth keeping on the back burner.

[charliem]

there is now a FireAmp connector for Mac and it is very good. i do so wish that Cisco would update Immunet more often or at least make it where general consumer could purchase FireAmp connectors for home use. We use in the enterprise and i love it.