New proxy malware targets Mac users through pirated software

Cybercriminals are targeting Mac users with a new proxy trojan malware bundled with popular, copyrighted macOS software being offered on warez sites.
Proxy trojan malware infects computers, turning them into traffic-forwarding terminals used to anonymize malicious or illegal activities such as hacking, phishing, and transactions for illicit goods.
Selling access to proxies is a lucrative business that has given birth to massive botnets, with Mac devices not being spared by this widespread activity.
The latest campaign pushing proxy malware was discovered by Kaspersky, which reports the earliest submission of the payload on VirusTotal dates to April 28, 2023.
The campaign takes advantage of people's willingness to risk their computer's security to avoid paying for premium apps.
Kaspersky found 35 image editing, video compression and editing, data recovery, and network scanning tools laced with the proxy trojan to bait users looking for free versions of commercial software.
Kaspersky says that unlike the legitimate software, which are distributed as disk images, the trojanized versions are downloaded as PKG files.
Compared to disk image files, which are the standard installation medium for these programs, PKG files are far riskier as they can execute scripts during the installation of the app.
Because installer files are executed with administrator rights, any scripts they execute gain the same permissions when performing dangerous actions, including file modification, file autorun, and command execution.
In this case, the embedded scripts are activated after the program's installation to execute the trojan, a WindowServer file, and make it appear as a system process.
WindowServer is a legitimate system process in macOS responsible for managing the graphic user interface, so the trojan aims to blend with routine system operations and elude user scrutiny.
Upon launch, the trojan connects to its C2 server via DNS-over-HTTPS to receive commands relating to its operation.
Kaspersky couldn't observe these commands in action, but through analysis, deduced that the client supports creating TCP or UDP connections to facilitate proxying.
In addition to the macOS campaign using PKGs, the same C2 infrastructure hosts proxy trojan payloads for Android and Windows architectures, so the same operators likely target a wide range of systems.
BlueNoroff hackers backdoor Macs with new ObjCShellz malware.
Apple fixes two new iOS zero-days in emergency updates.
Atomic Stealer malware strikes macOS via fake browser updates.
IPStorm botnet with 23,000 proxies for malicious traffic dismantled.
Get more done with this refurbished 32GB iPad for less than $170..


This Cyber News was published on www.bleepingcomputer.com. Publication date: Sun, 03 Dec 2023 21:15:19 +0000


Cyber News related to New proxy malware targets Mac users through pirated software

Pirated Software Puts Mac Users at Risk as Proxy Malware Emerges - Malware is being targeted at Mac users who receive pirated versions of popular apps from warez websites after they choose to download them from those websites. Various reports state that cybercriminals are infecting macOS devices with proxy trojans ...
10 months ago Cysecurity.news
How to Remove Malware + Viruses - Malware removal can seem daunting after your device is infected with a virus, but with a careful and rapid response, removing a virus or malware program can be easier than you think. We created a guide that explains exactly how to rid your Mac or PC ...
5 months ago Pandasecurity.com
PixPirate: The Brazilian financial malware you can't see, part one - The constantly mutating PixPirate malware has taken that strategy to a new extreme. PixPirate is a sophisticated financial remote access trojan malware that heavily utilizes anti-research techniques. Within IBM Trusteer, we saw several different ...
8 months ago Securityintelligence.com
Types of Malware and How To Prevent Them - Malware is one of the biggest security threats to any type of technological device, and each type of malware uses unique tactics for successful invasions. Even if you've downloaded a VPN for internet browsing, our in-depth guide discusses the 14 ...
3 months ago Pandasecurity.com
Stealthy New macOS Backdoor Hides on Chinese Websites - A sneaky macOS backdoor that allows attackers to remotely control infected machines has been hiding in trojanized applications for the platform that are hosted on Chinese websites. Researchers from Jamf Threat Labs discovered the series of poisoned ...
8 months ago Darkreading.com
Pirated Microsoft Office delivers malware cocktail on systems - Cybercriminals are distributing a malware cocktail through cracked versions of Microsoft Office promoted on torrent sites. The malware delivered to users includes remote access trojans, cryptocurrency miners, malware downloaders, proxy tools, and ...
4 months ago Bleepingcomputer.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com
Stemming the Tide: Solving the Challenge of Password Reuse and Password-Stealing Malware - Password stealing malware is again rising with several attacks making the news cycle in recent months. A new password-stealing malware named Ov3r Stealer was discovered on Facebook Ads, spreading by way of fake job opportunities. Further analysis ...
4 months ago Cybersecurity-insiders.com

Latest Cyber News


Cyber Trends (last 7 days)


Trending Cyber News (last 7 days)