OSX.RSPlug.D, a new variant of OSX.RSPlug.A (mentioned here in an earlier article) is also spread via various less scrupulous sites offering video porn. A Mac user visiting a particular web page is greeted with an error dialog stating “Video ActiveX Object Error: Your browser cannot play the video file”.
If the user presses “cancel”, another dialog box pops up, which contains only an “ok” button. The choice is then to either click OK and download the installer anyway, or force-quit the browser (command-option-escape on the keyboard).

If the installer is downloaded, the disk image file has to be mounted, and then the installer in the image file run. On some computers, this may occur manually. On others, depending on settings, the user may be required to open the dmg file, then double-click on the installer.

If it doesn’t open automatically, no problem. Just delete the file and get on with more important things. If it does mount and launch the installer automatically, the Apple Installer program will then ask for the user’s admin user name and password. Here’s the other place to stop this thing in its tracks - just hit cancel, and quit the installer. Then throw away the file that was downloaded. That’s it. You’re safe.

If for some reason a user actually enters his admin password, the changes on the Mac may possibly be reversed manually through various command line utilities.

The consequences of installing this and other similar trojans include identity theft and financial losses in cases where the user has inadvertently tried signing onto a hijacked site with his normal credentials (i.e. username or account number , and password or other secret information).

As always, I recommend surfing with a bit of caution. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You won’t find high-quality free video porn online. You will find scams and attempts to get you to divulge your credit card number or other personally identifying information.

Also note that “ActiveX” is a Windows-only beast. You cannot download an ActiveX viewer - the only way to use ActiveX on a Macintosh is to install Windows on your Mac.

While it is a rather involved repair, requiring disassembly, desoldering and resoldering without toasting the mother board, and then reassembly, pricing will be significantly lower than either replacing the motherboard (usually the manufacturer-recommended repair strategy) or purchasing a new laptop.

Here are some of the signs that your laptop may have a loose DC jack.

• Laptop receives no power when plugged in.
• Laptop only runs on battery power.
• Battery will not charge, or charges inconsistently.
• Laptop intermittently switches from AC power to battery.
• Laptop suddenly shuts off.
• DC Jack feels loose.
• Sparks come out of the back of the laptop.
• DC power cord must be held at certain angle for operation.

Some of the adapters Apple shipped may be a fire hazard.

Apple will replace the adapter free of charge. You can go to a nearby Apple Retail Store, or order one via the web.

If your adapter has a little green dot sticker, it is one of the new ones, and does not pose a threat.

The new enclosure is a single piece of milled aluminum. This promises to be more structurally sound than the existing polycarbonate Macbook cases. The new machine is also about a pound lighter than the old.

The new trackpad is much larger, and does away with a separate button. The trackpad is the button. It also incorporates all the pinch / swipe gestures from the iphone.

Comparing the new low-end model at $1299 with the old MacBook (white), now selling for $999, we see a 2.0Ghz Core 2 Duo processor in the new model vs. a 2.1 Ghz processor in the old model. Memory has doubled, to 2GB, and hard drive capacity increases from 120GB to 160GB.

But - now, it’s DDR3 memory instead of DDR2. What’s the difference? In a nutshell, it’s faster, and I expect it will soon be cheaper, as manufacturers start to phase out widespread use of DDR2, much as they have done with DDR memory, and DIMMs and SIMMs in the past.

The new MacBook can handle up to 4GB of memory, up from 3 for the last generation. A quick check shows that you can purchase 4GB for $80 locally, and a bit less if you purchase online. If you want Apple-supplied and Apple-supported memory, you can order your new MacBook with 4GB directly from Apple for an extra $150.

Similarly, upgrading to a 320GB hard drive runs $200 from Apple. for a few minutes of your time (or mine) to install, you can buy your own for about $100-120. As an added bonus, you’ll have another drive you can sell to recoup some of your cost, or install in an external enclosure for a portable or backup drive. Note - I haven’t yet confirmed that the new MacBook hard drive is user-upgradable, but I suspect that it is.

The Video chipset is said to be something like 5x faster. this will only help performance, as it can offload more graphics processing from the CPU.

One drawback, for those who are invested in FireWire peripherals already - the new MacBook has dropped FireWire completely, following the lead of the MacBook Air. This would be a reason to go with the new MacBook Pro. The MBP line continues to sport a FireWire port, though it is a FW800 port. FW400 peripherals can be connected via an inexpensive generic adapter.

If I were in the market for a new machine, I’d jump on the new MacBook in a hearbeat. Unfortunately for my new-toy gene, my current MacBook is still holding its own, chugging right along two-plus years later with a bit of help from memory and hard drive upgrades.

Edit: A month later, I’ve seen a few of these in the wild. I like!

Well, no.
Viruses, spyware, and trojans that affect the Macintosh operating system are few and far between, but they do exist.

One example - DNSChanger. This is a trojan horse (program that masquerades as another - named after Hector’s ruse in Homer’s Iliad) for Mac OS X. It is also known as OSX.RSPlug.A.

DNSChanger, once installed, hijacks sites you visit in your browser. You might think you’re on amazon.com, but you’re actually on another server that just wants to serve more ads to you, or worse, convince you to order something, entering your credit card info in a fake order page.

How do you “catch” DNSChanger? It usually comes from questionable web sites which convince you to install a piece of software they call a video codec, ostensibly to watch their video.

That said, I still don’t normally recommend antivirus software for the Mac, unless your goal is to protect Windows users from other Windows users - i.e. from malware that might be forwarded to you, and then to someone else via email.

The best thing a Mac owner can do to avoid viruses and spyware and such is to use common sense and surf carefully.

If a web site recommends a special piece of software to see its contents (such as a video codec or player), think twice before installing it. If you need QuickTime, go ahead and install it, but get it directly from Apple.
Same for Flash - get it directly from Adobe.

Products or Codecs you’ve never heard of? Pass, or at least do some research first. If a site recommends the xxxyyzz product, google “xxxyyzz” and see what other reputable sites have to say.

My workhorse MacBook has been and still is a great machine. It has a 3 hour battery life and it’s about 7 pounds including a light sleeve and the power supply. With a 13″ screen and 2Ghz CPU, it’s a good compromise between size, power, and portability.

Lately, I felt the need to be able to carry a smal lightweight laptop with a relatively long battery life. The MacBook Air was a contender, but I did not want to pay another $1800 to shave two pounds off my daily carry machine, and sacrifice power and options in the bargain.

I’ve found a compromise. I’ve recently acquired an ASUS eee PC 1000H. It’s a tiny, 3 pound “netbook”. It sports a 10 inch screen, and is a good bit smaller than a standard sheet of paper. The power adapter adds only a few ounces. It isn’t quite as powerful as a MacBook, but the price is right.

Conveniently enough, it’s dropped $100 in price, and the hard drive capacity has doubled to 160GB. Mine was $549. A few days after I bought mine, the price dropped to $449 for the 80GB model and $479 for the 160GB model. An extra 160GB of storage, I think, is well worth the $30 bucks.

ASUS Eee PC 1000H 160G Fine Ebony Intel Atom 10.0″ WSVGA ASUS Eee PC 1000H 160G Fine Ebony NetBook Intel Atom 10.0″ Wide SVGA 1GB Memory 160GB HDD Integrated Graphics

Eee PC 1000H 160G Intel Atom 1.6GHz - Windows XP Home Edition - Fine Ebony Intel Atom 1.6GHz 1GB DDR2 160GB HDD Intel UMA Graphics 10″ Display Hi-Definition Audio CODEC 10/100Mbps LAN 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth 1.3MP Webcam Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition