专家提醒：恶意程序瞄上苹果机

Experts: Malicious program targets Macs

Story Highlights
·Researchers find computer malware aimed at Mac computers
·The "iBotnet" infects a small number of Mac users through pirated software
·Still, researchers say it is a step in the evolution of harmful computer programs
·As Macs become more popular, they're more likely to be targets, experts say

(CNN) -- Mac computers are known for their near-immunity to malicious computer programs that plague PCs.
（CNN）——苹果机以对恶意计算机程序百毒不侵而闻名。

Some security experts say viruses are moving toward Mac as those computers become more popular.
一些安全专家说病毒开始转向苹果机，因为它们日益普及

But that may be changing somewhat, according to computer security researchers. It seems that as sleek Mac computers become more popular, they're also more sought-after targets for the authors of harmful programs.
根据电脑安全研究者说，这也许会改变一些，看起来优雅的苹果机变得越来越流行，它们也广泛受到写恶意程序的作者的青睐。

"The bad guys generally go toward the biggest target, what will get them the biggest bang for their buck," said Kevin Haley, a director of security response at Symantec.
“这些坏家伙们通常向最大的目标进攻，这会让他们赚到很多钱，”供职于赛门铁克公司的安全响应总监凯文·哈利说到。

Until recently, the big target always was Microsoft Windows, and Apple computers were protected by "relative obscurity," he said.
在此之前，大目标一直是微软的Windows，而苹果公司由于“相对无闻”而受到保护，他说。

But blogs are buzzing this week about what two Symantec researchers have called the first harmful computer program to strike specifically at Mac.
但是本周赛门铁克公司的两位研究者的博客开始发出声音，称第一有害程序开始特别瞄上苹果机。

This Trojan horse program, dubbed the "iBotnet," has infected only a few thousand Mac machines, but it represents a step in the evolution of malicious computer software, Haley said.
这种特洛伊木马程序称为“iBotnet”（僵尸），已经感染了几千台苹果机，但是它代表了恶意程序软件发展史上的重要的一步，哈利说到。

The iBotnet is a sign that harmful programs are moving toward Mac, said Paul Henry, a forensics and security analyst at Security in Arizona.
iBotnet（僵尸）代表着有害程序开始向苹果机进攻，保罗·亨利说到，他在亚利桑那州的安全部任法医和安全分析师。

"We all knew it was going to happen," he said. "It was just a matter of time, and, personally, I think we're going to see a lot more of it."
“我们知道它已经发生，”他说到，“这只是时间问题，并且就我个人来讲，我认为我们以后可以看到它更多。”

The malicious software was first reported in January. It didn't gain widespread attention until recently, when Mario Ballano Barcena and Alfredo Pesoli of Symantec, maker of the popular Norton antivirus products, detailed the software in a publication called "Virus Bulletin."
恶意程序第一次被报道是在一月份。直到最近它才引起广泛关注，当赛门铁克公司的BB和AP两个人制作了诺顿反病毒产品，在刊物上详细介绍了这个软件，称作“病毒公告”。

Mac users at large, however, should not be alarmed by the incident, experts said. The program infects only computers whose users downloaded pirated versions of the Mac software iWork.
然而专家说，苹果机用户总体上不应因为这次事故而感到惊慌，程序感染的只是那些从苹果机软件iWork下载的盗版版本的用户。

The harmful software is a Trojan horse, meaning it tries to sneak into the computer with some sort of permission from the user. Computer worms travel differently. They wiggle their way into computers and replicate without the owner's approval or knowledge.
恶意软件是特洛伊木马，意味着它通过一种用户许可潜入计算机。计算机蠕虫走的路线不同，它们扭动着它们的路进入计算机，无需主人同意或知道就可以复制。

The Mac program is called a botnet because infected computers become part of a network that is controlled by the program's author.
苹果机程序被称作“botnet”，因为感染计算机变成网络的一部分，可以为程序写作者所控制。

The Mac botnet is significantly less threatening than computer worms like the much-publicized Conficker.c, said Jose Nazario, a senior security researcher with Arbor Networks. Conficker was thought to have infected up to 10 million computers, compared with thousands for the iBotnet, researchers said.
苹果“botnet”显然不如计算机蠕虫（如广为关注的Conficker.c）有威胁性，Jose Nazario说道，此人是Arbor 网络公司的高级安全调查者。iBotnet 只感染了几千台，而Conficker已感染了一千万台，研究者说到。

There's also some question as to whether it is the first botnet to target Mac. Others have targeted both PCs and Apple computers.
还有一些问题关于是否第一个botnet的目标是苹果机，其它的目标是其他个人电脑和苹果电脑。

"This isn't the first botnet that's been built using Mac computers," Nazario said. "This is an interesting one in that it's a little more flexible and includes some new features. ... It's getting a lot of press mostly because it's Mac and people are talking about how Macs are immune to malware -- and, sure enough, they're not."
“这不是第一个构造出来用于苹果机的病毒，”Nazario说，“这个问题之所以有趣是因为它更灵活并包含一些新特征……这让他们很有压力，因为苹果和人们一直说苹果机百毒不侵——很明显，它们做不到。”

The potential damage that could be caused by the Mac botnet is also less severe than other attacks, said Darrell Etherington, a contributor to theAppleBlog, which is not affiliated with the computer company.
由苹果病毒引起的潜在危险仍然不如其它病毒的攻击严重，DE说到，他曾对苹果博客有贡献，现在已不隶属计算机公司。

"It's a very low-level attack," he said. "Some people won't even notice the effect of it."
“这是个低水平的攻击”他说，“一些人甚至没有注意到它的影响。”

It is in the interest of software companies like Symantec, who spread the news, and McAfee, which has downplayed the presence of the Trojan, to raise concerns so they can promote their antivirus software packages, he said.
为了软件公司的利益，如赛门铁克它们宣传新闻，McAfee，它降低了特洛伊的出现并引起注意，可以推销它们反病毒软件包。

"Yes, it is going to become a bigger problem and, yes, people have to become more aware, but I think that what McAfee and Symantec would like is for the panic to start and for people to start rushing to antivirus software," which isn't necessary yet, Etherington said.
“是的，它会变成一个大问题，人们不得不变得更为关注，但是我认为McAfee和赛门铁克公司希望开始惊慌，并让人们开始涌向反病毒软件，现在还没有必要” Etherington说。

In a statement, Apple said it is working to prevent security problems.
在一次讲话中，苹果说到是防止安全问题出现的时候了。

"Apple takes security very seriously and has a great track record of addressing potential vulnerabilities before they can affect users," the statement says.
“苹果严肃对待安全问题并做了大量追踪记录，在它们可以影响用户之前说明潜在脆弱点，”声明中说到。

Only about 7.4 percent of computer users work on Macs, according to Gartner, a technology research firm.
只有7.4%的计算机用户用苹果机，根据Gartner，一个科研公司。

That user base is proportionally more affluent than PC users, Etherington said, which may make Mac a bigger target. But overall, Macs are still far less vulnerable to attack than PCs, he said.
这些用户经济基础按比例地比一般用户要富足些，Etherington说到，这有可能会使苹果变成一个大点的目标。但总体上，苹果机仍然不像一般个人电脑易受到攻击，他说。

Haley said news of the Apple botnet is significant in part because it's something other authors of malicious code can build from.
哈利说，苹果病毒的新闻意义重大，部分是因为恶意程序的作者可以开发出编码。

"I don't think it's a tipping point; I think it's an evolutionary step. We see virus authors often use what somebody else has done," he said. "There's a model. There's something out there to follow."
“我不认为这是个可以推翻的点，我认为只是一个进化步骤。我们看到病毒作者经常用其他人已经做到的，”他说，“只是一个模式。

原文链接：http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/22/first.mac.botnet/index.html