SleepyEgg

Move over Mac Defender—there's a new malware variant in town, and it doesn't require the administrator password for installation. Security research firm Intego issued a new warning to Mac users on Wednesday, heavily cautioning users that a new variant on Mac Defender, called Mac Guard, is making the rounds via SEO poisoning online.

Intego initially warned users about a fake antivirus program called MAC Defender (it has since gone through several name and capitalization changes) earlier this month. The Mac-like app posed as an antivirus program and asked users for their credit card numbers in order to purge viruses on their machines or protect them from new ones. Although Intego initially gave Mac Defender a low risk rating because of its admin password requirement, it soon became apparent that Mac Defender was indeed beginning to make the rounds among the Mac-using community. We spoke with a number of third-party support reps, as well as several Apple Store Geniuses, who vouched for an apparent increase in Mac Defender malware reports.