HT5244 What does Flashback malware do once it is installed on my machine?

Question

Hi, Just read HT5244 About Flashback malware, and I still don't know what it does once it installs on my machine.  Anone know?
Thanks.
You can call me Ray

Answer 1

Hi Ray,
Since it allows potentially malicious Java code to run on your computer, the possibilities are many. The most serious concern is a suspicion (though unverified) that Flashback and its variants could mine confidential information from your computer and upload it to whomever is collecting the data for whatever purpose it intends. A somewhat lesser but still significant concern is that it could simply cause random crashes, slowdowns, data loss and other annoyances.
To alleviate the first concern there is a tool called Little Snitch that alerts you to any outgoing network requests. It requires some knowledge of what requests are legitimate and what are suspicious, but allows you to block requests that you believe are malicious attempts to steal your information, or simple invasions of your computing privacy. It has been established that - in an attempt to conceal its existence - the malware you reference will not install itself on a computer running Little Snitch as well as a number of other third party utilities.
Little Snitch is not for everyone. If you were to use it to block all outgoing network requests, for instance, many normal and required functions would fail.