Malicious Mac "Trojan Horse" App Discovered

A rare "Trojan horse" program designed to fleece Mac users has been discovered, the Wall Street Journal reports. Luring users with spam directing to porn sites, the Trojan poses as a missing video codec necessary for the naughty vids. Installation of the "codec" requires an administrator login, which gives the Trojan full access to the machine.

Once empowered, the Trojan waits until the user visits auction or banking websites, nabbing those passwords for identity theft. Macs have enjoyed a "malware-free" reputation for a long time, one which may be ending. "The bad guys are taking Macs seriously now," noted a malware analyst. The Trojan, however, still requires duping users -- PC viruses require no such mistake to wreak their havoc. (More Apple stories.)