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Windows Bitten By Apple IPod Virus
David Utter
Staff Writer
2006-10-18
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
A small number of Apple's 5th generation video iPods arrived in the eager hands of Windows users with an irritating pest on board - a virus.
 | | "Window's Bitten" |  |
Apple offered an apology on its website for shipping some shiny new video iPods containing a virus to Windows users. Current antivirus software should catch the problematic malware without difficulty.
It still made for an embarrassing moment for the company that prides itself on defining the cutting edge of cool when it comes to advanced technology. Apple provided an explanation on its website, citing less that one percent of the video iPods available for purchase after September 12th coming from a contract manufacturer with the virus.
Apple also indulged in a little cheap shot at Microsoft over the virus, even though the situation was Apple's fault:
The iPod nano, iPod shuffle and Mac OS X are not affected, and all Video iPods now shipping are virus free. As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it.
Apple referred to the virus as RavMonE.exe on its advisory page. But that may not be an accurate name for it, according to a posting from security software company Sophos:
Sophos notes that presently Apple is not displaying the correct name for the malware on its website, instead referring to it as the RavMonE.exe Windows virus.
"There are a number of different pieces of malware which use a file called RavMonE.exe and so we don't know at the moment precisely which Trojan horse or virus that may have been shipped," continued Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "The name RavMonE.exe actually comes from a perfectly legitimate program called RAV Anti-Virus so it would be wrong to call a piece of malware by this name. Hackers sometimes spoof the names of legitimate programs to cause greater confusion."
Apple has recommended that video iPod users scan their PCs and any mass storage devices for the virus, including external hard drives, USB flash drives, and digital cameras. The virus does not affect Mac OS X.
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Tag: Apple
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About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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