May 10, 2005

Mac OS X Tiger Virus Malware Widgets

A developer has programmed evil widgets that can do nasty things. The problem with the Dashboard widget model is the "auto-install" that makes it difficult to get rid of the ones that have already run from a web-page. This opens the door to porn spammer and spyware type widgets that will always be on the Dashboard to bother you. Nasty.

Developer Stephan, who has posted the widgets to his blog, has created two mini-apps which he describes as "slightly evil." One widget, he says, will automatically install itself on users' desktops when his "Zaptastic" Web site is visited using Apple's Safari browser. Stephan has also created the zaptastic_evil widget, which redirects the user's browser to a Web site every time the widget Dashboard is launched-—and drops the user out of Dashboard, preventing the widget from being closed.