It never fails. With increased popularity comes increased vulnerability and increased exposure.

Macintosh users recently became victims to that old axiom as sales soared and they became more than just a blip on virus and worm developers' radar screens.

New threats targeting OSX and the Mac's Safari Web browser have emerged in the wake of another that attacked QuickTime. Fortunately, Apple managed to patch the QuickTime vulnerability by releasing a new version before the scourge was released.

OSX/Inqtana.A, OSX/Leap.A and the looming threat that will allow vile intruders to prey upon the "open 'safe' files after downloading" option in Safari have ushered Mac users into the world of paranoia Windows users have lived in for years.

According to the folks at Symantec Corp., the OSX/Inqtana.A worm targets Bluetooth connections and spreads itself by searching for any Bluetooth-enabled devices when the computer is restarted.

The good news here is that the worm may be stopped dead in its tracks because it is using a time-limited demo that is bound to a Bluetooth address. But the folks at Symantec warn that it could easily be modified and become fully functional.

OSX/Leap.A is a worm that is spread via iChat. According to Symantec, it makes use of the Spotlight search program, and will run every time the computer boots up. Its purpose is to identify and infect any applications being started and replicate itself through iChat by inviting your "buddies" to download a file called "latestpics.tqz."

The solution here is simple. Mac users are being advised to set iChat to ask for permission before sending a file, which will alert users to confirm sending of all files. Users should also set iChat to not accept incoming files.

Both of these worms are considered low-level threats, but could be the harbinger of more evil scourges being brewed in cyberspace.

Unfortunately, such is not the case with the vulnerability recently exposed in the Safarti Web browser. Symantec has categorized this as a "severe threat" and recommends that Mac users turn off the "open 'safe' files after downloading" option, which is turned on by default when the browser is opened. This will prevent the computer from automatically displaying images and movies and from showing what lies inside ZIP files.

Although there is no known threat that will infect these files, the severity of the vulnerability opens the door to any evildoer that wants easy access to an unprotected computer.

Mac users: welcome to my world!

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