Breaking Windows

Virus researchers at Sophos have reassured customers that a recently publicised Mac OS X Trojan horse does not pose a threat. Mac/Amphimix-A (also known as MAC.Amphimix, MacOS/Amphimix, MP3Concept or MP3Virus.gen) is a Macintosh program which is also a properly-formed MP3 file. When the program is launched it displays a dialog box to say "Yep, this is an application. (So what is your iTunes playing now?)". The program then tries to load the Amphimix file into the iTunes player as an MP3 music file. The MP3 component of the file contains a track called "Wild Laugh", a four second burst of manic laughter. Mac/Amphimix-A first appeared as a 'proof-of-concept' on the internet (even though the concept of Mac programs under disguise is not a new one), and was widely reported by the media as a "new form of Mac OS X virus". But it is neither specific to Mac OS X, nor is it a virus. Source: Sophos