Mac Spyware?

[ebolag4]

Does anybody know of confirmed (ie, documented by someone else who is not a personal friend) Mac spyware. Especially under X.

Let's keep a running list here and see what pops up.

[rezba]

having many years of security issues reading, and never heard of something serious about it.
If it would exist, I think that paranoid people like them or them will know that.
It doesn't seem to be the case.

[rezba]

I forgot it !
Spector, a famous spyware for PC's, has been ported to MacOS. It's not native, but carbonized, and is able to record some actions under OSX if Classic is open, and active, I think.

Here's is what thier support says about :

2. Is Spector available for Mac OS X (Mac OS 10.x)?

Spector does not support Mac OS X (Mac OS 10.x) at this time.

However, our testing has shown that Spector for Macintosh can be installed under the Classic (Mac OS 9) environment of Mac OS X. Spector will record activity on your Macintosh that occurs in both Mac OS 9 & Mac OS X, provided that the Classic (Mac OS 9) environment is running. Additionally, you must be in an active Classic (Mac OS 9) application in order to use the HotKeys that launch and view the Spector Recordings.

[MacLone]

Well...i don't think i am paranoid but privacy is a great concern to me.
I really hate receiving spam mails from porno sites, guys i have never heard before and many other stuff without giving them my email...
How do the got my email? there is a lot of tricks and one of them is using spyware.
Obviously, spyware is rampant on the dark side (winblows) but if you think there is no spyware in the mac side you are wrong.
There is no registered spyware on the mac but some software you use has it in its way; for example, i have heard of some apple stuff which collects some info (please don't ask which cause i don't remember) and some brands like ADOBE which collects your app registration in order to be sent to them WITHOUT YOUR PETTY PERMISSION... and i have detected some kind of spy stuff in underground apps (u know what i mean)
Will be real spyware on the Mac side someday? you bet...the only thing i hope is to count on a mac version of AD-AWARE to get rid of it.
Cheers.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Originally posted by MacLone
There is no registered spyware on the mac but some software you use has it in its way; for example, i have heard of some apple stuff which collects some info (please don't ask which cause i don't remember) and some brands like ADOBE which collects your app registration in order to be sent to them WITHOUT YOUR PETTY PERMISSION...

Unless there's someone out there willing to prove this, it's completely false. Adobe only sends registration information (NOT your serial number) back to Adobe... but only information you tell it to, such as your name, address, phone number, email and whatever other information you put into their form and sent to them. You can EASILY even opt out of this, too, as I do all the time, when a big screen pops up basically saying, "Hey, I'm sending this form that you filled out back to some obscure database at Adobe, and only this information, and I'm going to do it now if you press the "OK" button -- otherwise, I won't send a damn thing and I'll ask you again later, unless of course, you press this button here and banish this information and this window forever so you'll never be hassled to do this again."

It worked for me. With both PhotoShop and Illustrator.

Serial numbers and APPLICATION registration information (NOT the USER-inputted registration information) are kept confidential on your computer and are NOT sent over the internet to anyone.

[rezba]

Right. There's no spyware installed by default. Some apps collects info, but they are now very aware of what they do with, because it enforces law.
about you're email, there's many way to get it, and the most common is not to go into your computer, but to get it in an official list or recipient, or better, to spy a mail relay.
Do you receive not a single mail letter ? This is very useful when you want to get tons of email to spam.
If you follow the first link I gave in my last post, you will probably find lot of apps and links to do that. Because, as they say : "to know a hacker, you gotta know the tools of a hacker".

[ElDiabloConCaca]

E-mail harvesting, which is what the action of collecting "good" email addresses is called, is sort of common, but not likely.

Most likely, and most commonly, people fill out their email address in certain forms on certain webpages, and forget to uncheck the box titled something to the effect of, "Check here to tell us that you DON'T want to receive unsolicited email from us," and then their email went on that company's list, and that list got sold to someone else... and someone else... until, eventually, you're getting email from companies you've never heard of, never contacted and would have no business contacting.

Just one... little... checkbox... can set off this chain reaction and succumb your email address to a life of spamming.

[nkuvu]

You can also check to see if you would ever want email from that website. For example, I have a Hotmail account that I use for trash. If I think I might want to see the email, I'll give my Hotmail account. If I know I would never want to see their email (but am required to enter something for some reason) I'll enter abuse@(whatever-domain-I'm-on).com. Works great.