WARNING!

Malware for Mac OS X 10.4.x "Tiger" Discovered: Malware named Oompa-Loompa has surfaced according to Intego. The Oompa-Loompa malware is a file named "latestpics.tgz" that decompresses into what looks like a JPEG image file when double-clicked. It is a Trojan horse because it tricks a user into double-clicking on the bogus JPEG image to view it and then takes action. It also replicates itself like a virus so that it can be spread by iChat like a worm, a trifecta of malware. Since it arrives from a trusted source, i.e. someone with whom the user communicates over iChat, it is more likely to be opened by the user.

Fortunately, a bug prevents Oompa-Loompa from doing anything more damaging than preventing infected applications from being launched. Experts think the Oompa-Loompa malware could be altered to delete files or to do other significantly malicious things.

Intego announced that its Virus Barrier X and X4 software have been updated to detect Oompa-Loompa and to "eradicate" it. They have also informed Apple so that Mac OS X 10.4.x can be patched. [Bill Fox]