macOS malware bites into Apple

Cybercriminals are continuing to pivot away from exclusively targeting Microsoft Windows victims and are intensifying their attacks on macOS users. That’s the latest from Guardz, which first noted the trend last month.

The cybersecurity firm said it had observed a new threat actor known as Rodrigo4 setting up shop on the dark web on July 20th, under the banner “macOS demand case study.”

“He shared that for the last six months, he has been working on his version of macOS information-stealer malware and is willing to offer this to private members,” said Guardz.

In July, the company said it had detected a new form of malware called ShadowVault going after macOS systems — long regarded as a safer alternative to the much more heavily targeted Microsoft. It looks as though Apple users can no longer afford to be complacent.

Another malware type spotted by Guardz targeting macOS systems is Hidden Virtual Network Computing (HVNC), an illegal form of computer hijacking done without the legitimate user’s consent or knowledge.

“It’s a known malware module that targets Windows OS devices, but now we see that there is also a shift to macOS machines,” it said. “The user is completely unaware that there is an intruder that created a new desktop session and just silently joined their computer.”

And Guardz warns macOS users that there could be more threats to come.

“It still remains to be seen how many other threat actors are lingering in the dark, working on developing malware for macOS devices,” it said.