Kaspersky Lab has announced its latest security offering, Kaspersky Security for Mac, which has been designed to protect users of Apple computers from the latest emerging threats.

The company asserted that as the market share of Apple’s computers increases, it begins to attract more attention from cybercriminals as well, resulting in a steady growth in the number of malicious programs for Macs.

A recent example of this is the Flashfake Trojan, which has turned at least 700 000 Mac computers into zombie machines. These computers could be controlled fully by the cybercriminals who spread the malicious program. Kaspersky noted that if one takes Apple’s market share of 6-10% (depending on the source) into consideration, such a high number of infected computers from just one malicious program is a truly alarming fact.

Protection from a wide range of threats

The Russian IT security firm said that its newest suite will protect Mac OS X users from numerous types of threats, as it combines traditional security technologies with cloud-based methods in order to provide a rapid response to the latest dangers.

Besides protecting Apple computers from Mac-specific threats, the new solution also prevents Windows- and Linux-targeting malware from spreading to other PCs. Additionally, it provides an effective parental control feature set, enabling parents to prevent their children from accessing  inappropriate content online.

The rise of Flashfake started from a large number of hacked online blogs that criminals seeded with the malicious component. When visiting these blogs, users were prompted to update Adobe Flash Player via a seemingly legitimate request. However, the downloaded package exploited vulnerabilities in the installed software, resulting in a massive epidemic.

Apple’s reaction to similar threats has been to release patches closing the software vulnerabilities, but Kaspersky Lab stated that this can occur up to two months after the breach is first discovered. So up until the time the iPad maker releases such patches, a computer operating without a third-party security solution remains vulnerable.

New protection technologies

Kaspersky Security for Mac utilises the company’s latest protection technologies to protect users computers from all types of threats that includes trojans, worms, spyware, adware and keyloggers. The file scanning module is activated during start-up and will check new and updated files automatically, minimising impact on system resources.

The ability to detect and block Mac-, Windows- or Linux-specific malware also prevents the spread of malicious objects to other computers on the home- and office network. Security for Mac’s antivirus database is updated hourly to ensure protection against the latest threats, while cloud-based security technology reacts to the most recent malicious objects within minutes.

In addition, users also gains access to web protection features that detect and block malicious, fraudulent as well as phishing websites and alerts users about each online threat detected.

Anti-phishing technology is especially useful for people who make use of online banking or payment services. To protect confidential data the likes of credit card numbers or passwords, Kaspersky Security introduces the virtual keyboard, which comes as an extension to the standard Safari browser, but also works with Google Chrome and Firefox.

Kaspersky asserts that the use of this virtual keyboard makes it impossible for criminals to intercept sensitive data via keyloggers. The keyboard pops up on screen at a user’s request and is accessible from all relevant password forms on web pages.

Parental controls

Parental control provides a safe and regulated online experience for children, with parents being able to set a time limit on their kids’ internet activities, or specify the exact times of each day when children are allowed to go online.

Kaspersky Security for Mac also ensures that the SafeSearch browser feature is always enabled within search engines such as Google and Microsoft’s Bing, weeding out inappropriate content links in search results.

Additionally, parents are also able to specify which type of files their kids may download, whilst undesired websites can be blocked as well. The suite also monitors childrens’ activity on social networks including Facebook, allowing parents to track who their children are communicating with and to restrict certain contacts or even entire social networking sites.

Availability

Kaspersky Security for Mac is currently available online at a recommended retail price of approximately R510. Click on the following link for further information: www.kaspersky.co.za

In related news, Kaspersky Lab recently released of its Spam report for June 2012 indicating how spammers are utilising new ways to lure unsuspecting PC users into clicking on their malicious website links, Kaspersky Lab announces its latest security suite offering.