Some 5.5G iPods Shipped With Virus

Gargoyle (Gargoyle) Apple says that some of the new 5.5G iPods made since September 12th carry a mass storage-propagating Windows virus.

October 17, 2006 3:12 PM ET in News

So far, there are only around 25 reports of the problem, but Apple has acknowledged that “less than one percent” of iPods made since September 12th carry the RavMonE.exe virus. Actually, it’s a worm that decreases your computer’s security, but leaves your data alone. If you’re running good ‘ol Windows that is. Mac users remain unphased.

Apple, never wasting an opportunity to take a jab at Microsoft’s chief product, slipped in a quickie while explaining to users on their webpage how to handle the virus:

As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it.

Apple is pretty anxious to get us to Switch, eh? A little poke there, a virus here… ;)

Link to Engadget Story

Source: Apple, via Engadget

7 Comments:

  1. godzilla525
    17 Oct '06, 8:38 pm

    I'll bet it was someone at the iPod factory using the volume image cloner to surf for you-know-what on some less-than-upstanding website.

    For this virus to work it seems to depend on people actually having Autorun turned on or actually executing the file... and who would expect a pre-loaded file to be a virus?

    (I remember a virus that made the rounds a while back that had me laughing my @$$ off. It came as an encrypted, zipped email attachment that someone would HAVE to intentionally decompress and run for it to work. Whoever got infected with it deserved it. But I digress...)

  2. Gargoyle
    18 Oct '06, 3:47 pm

    More info:

    Anti-virus firm Sophos said there was confusion about exactly which virus was onboard the iPods.

    "There are a number of different pieces of malware which use a file called RavMonE.exe," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, "so we don't know at the moment precisely which trojan horse or virus may have been shipped."

    The virus in question could be part of the RJump virus family which tries to steal information and open a back door into an infected PC.

    Source: BBC News

  3. FoldingAddict
    18 Oct '06, 11:18 pm

    I don't see how it's Windows' fault for not being ''hardy enough.'' I mean it was APPLE'S product that was shipped with malicious software pre-loaded on it, I mean come on. It could have just as easily been a worm engineered to screw with macs also, but they DEFINITELY would have caught that one.

    ~FA

  4. airbornflght
    18 Oct '06, 11:40 pm

    I expected this:

    "We ship all of our ipods with that virus, its not our fault that it only affects windows based machines and not macs, if you switch to a mac, you never have to deal with that again.

  5. Leonardo
    19 Oct '06, 12:36 am
    I don't see how it's Windows' fault for not being ''hardy enough.''

    Gotta love those arrogant dingleberries at Apple. Let's see: Apple's contractor manufactures the Apple device, Apple is responsible for testing, Apple is responsible for spot checking product and quality control, Apple approves the product for shipment....

    and it's Microsoft's fault?

  6. FoldingAddict
    19 Oct '06, 12:52 am
    Quoting Leonardo

    and it's Microsoft's fault?

    Naturally!

    ~FA

  7. airbornflght
    19 Oct '06, 3:05 am

    I give to you:

    This is Jobs' official theme song.

    Time's have changed
    Our computers are getting worse
    They wont obey their owners
    They just want to fart and curse!

    Should we blame the government?
    Or blame society?
    Or should we blame the images on TV?
    No, blame Microsoft
    Blame Microsoft
    With all their beady little eyes
    And flappin heads so full of lies
    Blame Microsoft
    Blame Microsoft
    We need to form a full assault
    It's Microsoft's fault!
    Don't blame me
    for my computer "Dan"
    He saw the darn cartoon
    And now he's off to join the Klan!
    And my computer phaser once
    Had my picture in a folder named shelf
    But now when I try to turn it on it tells me to **** myself!

    Well, blame Microsoft
    Blame Microsoft
    It seems that every thing's gone wrong
    Since Microsoft came along

    Blame Microsoft
    Blame Microsoft
    There not even a real company anyway
    My computer could've been a folder for team 93 it's true
    Instead he burned up like a piggy on a barbecue
    Should we blame the hackers?
    Should we blame the peon I should fire?
    Or the anti-virus I allowed to expire?
    Heck no!

    Blame Microsoft
    Blame Microsoft
    With all their Active X hubbabaloo

    And that bitch Steve Ballmer too
    Blame Microsoft
    Shame on Microsoft
    The crappy coding we must stop
    The corporation we must smash
    ease and consistency
    must all be undone
    We must blame them and cause a fuss
    Before someone thinks of blaming uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus

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