(CNN) -- Apple says a new software update provides tools to get rid of the so-called "Flashback" virus that has infected hundreds of thousands of Mac computers. In a post on its support forums, Apple said the update to the Java software platform "removes the most common variants" of the Flashback malware. Last week, a Russian security company reported that as many as 600,000 Macs, most of them in the United States and Canada, had been infected by Flashback, a Trojan horse virus that infiltrates computers, secretly giving someone else remote access to them. Flashback was first discovered in September, disguising itself as an Adobe Flash Player installer.
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Apple releases update to fix damage from the "Flashback" malware
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Security firm estimates up to 600,000 Macs were infected by the Trojan horse
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Some complained Apple took too long to address the problem
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Flashback was discovered in September, disguised as a Flash installer
Apple, which prides itself on keeping a safe environment for users, was criticized in some quarters for the amount of time it took to respond to @placeholder.