Also, crooks may inject harmful code into legit torrent client installers.Īn example of the latter scenario is the first-ever fully functional Mac ransomware called KeRanger in 2016. Unsurprisingly, camouflaging malware as torrent files with some awesome video content is a common infection tactic.
These spoofed warnings are usually shown on previously compromised sites or specially crafted malicious landing pages. Once the target is on the hook, a click on the ‘Scan Now’ button to learn more about the purported infection will instantly pull adware or scareware into the Mac behind the scenes. Its scare component comes down to deceptive alerts stating that the system is contaminated with viruses.
Threat actors can poison such software with malicious components so that freebie lovers get infected without realizing it.
This territory is dominated by scams pushing the likes of the above-mentioned Shlayer adware through the Adobe Flash Player update bundle. Its logic is as follows: crooks wrap up dubious apps into seemingly legit software installers.
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Also known as Bird Miner, it was distributed via Trojan-infected copies of popular Virtual Studio Technology (VST) apps. OSX/LoudMiner, a notable example of a Mac threat from this category, broke out in June 2019. CryptominersĪ crypto miner’s goal is to gobble up a computer’s processing resources to mine cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or Monero behind the user’s back. When inside a system, Shlayer redirects the victim’s default browser to fake search engines and quietly downloads second-stage malware payloads. It was detected on roughly 10% of all Macs. Two years ago, an adware strain called Shlayer took the world by storm due to its insanely effective propagation wave relying on booby-trapped Adobe Flash Player updates. These apps are nuisances that display redundant ads or hijack one’s browser and reroute it to junk services. Adware is by far the most common threat haunting the Mac ecosystem.