It is a popular consensus that Mac computers are more secure than Windows platforms - but the discovery of two new types of malicious software specifically developed to target Macs could pull the rug out from under users’ feet.
Ransomware – once thought of as a vulnerability that only affects Windows users – is now a growing problem for Mac devices. Following the infamous WannaCry malware attack, cybercriminals are now turning their attention toward a system most casual users believe is safer than Microsoft’s.
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Research firm Fortinet recently discovered a ransomware-as-a-service (RAAS) program called MacRansom that could hold Mac platforms hostage.
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RAAS’ are ransomware that allow script kiddies to use another hacker’s ransomware package to launch an attack, eliminating the need to code malware. To “pay” for the service, RAAS users can hand over a cut of whatever ransom money they made using the program to the developers.
Fortinet contacted MacRansom’s creators, pretending to be users interested in the product, and were sent a sample of the malware. In the transaction, MacRansom’s creators claimed to be engineers for Yahoo and Facebook, and that they were making their ransomware available “for free” because more people were buying Macs.
“Unlike most hackers on the darknet, we are professional developers with extensive experience in software development and vast interest in surveillance,” the malware developers claimed.
After analyzing the ransomware, Fortinet concluded that it was “far inferior” to equivalent programs that target Windows machines, but said that it could still cause trouble.
“It doesn’t fail to encrypt victims’ files or prevent access to important files, thereby causing real damage,” the company said in a statement procured by BBC.
Another set of researchers from AlienVault discovered another type of malware developed by the authors of MacRansom – one that reads users’ files.
Dubbed MacSpy, the malware can log which keys are pressed, take screenshots of sensitive data, and even tap into a machine’s microphone.
“While this piece of Mac malware may not be the most stealthy [sic] program, it is feature rich and it goes to show that as OS X continues to grow in market share we can expect malware authors to invest greater amounts of time in producing malware for this platform,” AlienVault’s researchers commented.
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