Apple Addresses 'Mac Defender' Threat With Security Update 2011-003 for Snow Leopard - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Addresses 'Mac Defender' Threat With Security Update 2011-003 for Snow Leopard

macdefender
Apple today released Security Update 2011-003 (Snow Leopard), a new software update that addresses the "Mac Defender" malware that has been afflicting Mac users over the past month.

- Malware removal

Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7

Impact: Remove the MacDefender malware if detected

Description: The installation process for this update will search for and remove known variants of the MacDefender malware. If a known variant was detected and removed, the user will be notified via an alert after the update is installed.

The update weighs in at 2.36 MB and requires Mac OS X 10.6.7.

Seed notes for the most recent developer build of Mac OS X 10.6.8 had indicated that the update will identify and remove known variants of Mac Defender, but Apple apparently wanted to push the anti-malware portions of the update as quickly as possible before incorporating it directly into Mac OS X 10.6.8 for future updaters.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

193 months ago
While i dont know the actual threat of his particular 'malware', I think apple needs to do a lot better than this in future. Such hot fixes need to be available within a couple of days max. If i wanted to use a virus/malware prone PC for weeks, i'd have simply opted for a windows machine instead of the mac!

And it should be available for 10.5 as well.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
193 months ago
While i dont know the actual threat of his particular 'malware', I think apple needs to do a lot better than this in future. Such hot fixes need to be available within a couple of days max. If i wanted to use a virus/malware prone PC for weeks, i'd have simply opted for a windows machine instead of the mac!
Apple have just made the very sensible step of allowing auto-updating of their malware definitions list. Future malware shouldn't require a formal Software Update:

"File Quarantine

Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7

Impact: Automatically update the known malware definitions

Description: The system will check daily for updates to the File Quarantine malware definition list. An opt-out capability is provided via the "Automatically update safe downloads list" checkbox in Security Preferences. Additional information is available in this Knowledge Base article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4651"
From http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4657
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chris Grande Avatar
193 months ago
This security update also makes the system automatically and in the background update the File Quarantine definitions daily.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benthewraith Avatar
193 months ago
Nope. Just Windows ME.

It's not that you find viruses on Windows ME computers. It's that Windows ME IS a virus.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tkermit Avatar
193 months ago
Nice! :)

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blackburn Avatar
193 months ago
There are exploits for mac os x, linux and windows. It's just a gamble, and you might get hacked in either systems. If the mac user base continues to grow we should expect more malware.

The best protection is to be smart, and be careful to with the sites you visit.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)