Apple Quietly Adds Anti-Malware Protection to OS X

One of the more unheralded aspects of the recent Mac OS X updates was an improvement to OS X’s XProtect anti-malware module.

XProtect will now guard Mac systems from the dangerous HellRTS malware that resurfaced this spring.

XProtect itself was only added to OS X last year, in response to growing concern about Mac-based malware, including HellRTS. However, Apple has opted not to publicize this functionality, perhaps because it draws attention to the existence of malware on the Mac platform, which Apple itself often implicitly denies.

Furthermore, even with the recent update, XProtect apparently has only a relatively small number of malware definitions in its directory. Third-party security applications such as MacScan and VirusBarrier continue to offer much more comprehensive protection, and that doesn’t look like changing anytime soon.

For more information on the update to Mac OS X’s anti-malware capacity, please see here: Mac Malware

Related posts:

1. Intego Security Memo Details New Malware Variant for Mac OS X
2. Mac Malware HellRTS-D Spotted in the Wild
3. Apple Releases Security Updates for MobileMe
4. Intego VirusBarrier X6 Update Adds iPad Support
5. Apple Continues to Bolster Security Department

Tagged as: HellRTS, hellrts mac virus, hellRTS malware, hellrts virus, mac malware, mac virus protection, macscan, malware protection mac, XProtect