New macOS malware HZ RAT lets attackers control Macs remotely
It lets attackers control Macs remotely.
From the Depths: Analyzing the Cthulhu Stealer Malware for macOS
Cado Security has identified a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) targeting macOS users named “Cthulhu Stealer”.
The Hidden Treasures of Crash Reports
Sadly, nobody really loves crash reports, but I’m here to change that! This research, a crash course on crash reports, will highlight how these often overlooked files are an invaluable source of information, capable of revealing malware infections, exploitation attempts, or even buggy (exploitable?) system code. Such insights are critical for defense and offense, empowering us to either protect or exploit macOS systems.
New MacOS Backdoor Written in Rust Shows Possible Link with Windows Ransomware Group
Bitdefender researchers have discovered a new backdoor targeting Mac OS users.
Analyzing DPRK's SpectralBlur
In both his twitter (err, X) thread and in a subsequent posting he provided a comprehensive background and triage of the malware dubbed SpectralBlur. In terms of its capabilities he noted: SpectralBlur is a moderately capable backdoor, that can upload/download files, run a shell, update its configuration, delete files, hibernate or sleep, based on commands issued from the C2. -Greg He also pointed out similarities to/overlaps with the DPRK malware known as KandyKorn (that we covered in our “Mac Malware of 2024” report), while also pointing out there was differences, leading him to conclude: We can see some similarities ... to the KandyKorn. But these feel like families developed by different folks with the same sort of requirements. -Greg
smith (CVE-2023-32434)
This write-up presents an exploit for a vulnerability in the XNU kernel: Assigned CVE-2023-32434. Fixed in iOS 16.5.1 and macOS 13.4.1. Reachable from the WebContent sandbox and might have been actively exploited. *Note that this CVE fixed multiple integer overflows, so it is unclear whether or not the integer overflow used in my exploit was also used in-the-wild. Moreover, if it was, it might not have been exploited in the same way. The exploit has been successfully tested on: iOS 16.3, 16.3.1, 16.4 and 16.5 (iPhone 14 Pro Max) macOS 13.1 and 13.4 (MacBook Air M2 2022) All code snippets shown below are from xnu-8792.81.2.
Objective-See's Blog
A comprehensive analysis of the year's new malware
Jamf Threat Labs Discovers Malware from BlueNoroff
Newly discovered later-stage malware from BlueNoroff APT group targets macOS with characteristics similar to their RustBucket campaign.
Triangulation: validators, post-compromise activity and modules | Securelist
In this report Kaspersky shares insights into the validation components used in Operation Triangulation, TriangleDB implant post-compromise activity, as well as details of some additional modules.
BlueNoroff | How DPRK’s macOS RustBucket Seeks to Evade Analysis and Detection -
Threat actors are using increasingly sophisticated forms of evasion and anti-analysis as they respond to increased attention to macOS security in the enterprise.
'RustBucket' malware targets macOS
Learn how APT group, BlueNoroff, targets Apple with malware variant to compromise macOS devices.
LockBit for Mac | How Real is the Risk of macOS Ransomware?
Discovery of a macOS variant of LockBit has caused alarm, but how serious a threat is it? We explore the malware and the threat of ransomware on Apple Macs.
Analyzing an arm64 mach-O version of LockBit
The relevance of this macOS specimen is well articulated in their tweet: “Lockbit ransomware group has created their first MacOS-based payload. We believe this is the first time a large ransomware threat group has developed a payload for Apple products.” vx-underground Ok, so even though it’s the weekend, we have what appears to be a new macOS malware specimen from one of the more notorious ransomware gangs! Coupled with the fact that this may be, (as noted by @VXUnderground), “the first time a large ransomware threat group has developed a payload for Apple products” …I was intrigued to decided to dig right in!
Hunting for Honkbox | Multistage macOS Cryptominer May Still Be Hiding
A cryptominer that uses the Invisible Internet protocol, Honkbox variants could still be evading some detection solutions.
The Mac Malware of 2022 👾
A comprehensive analysis of the year's new malware
Shlayer Malware: Continued Use of Flash Updates
Although Flash Player reached end of life for macOS in 2020, this has not stopped Shlayer operators from continuing to abuse it for malvertising campaigns.
L’art de l’évasion How Shlayer hides its configuration inside Apple proprietary DMG files
While conducting routine threat hunting for macOS malware on Ad networks, I stumbled upon an unusual Shlayer sample. Upon further analysis, it became clear that this variant was different from the known Shlayer variants such as OSX/Shlayer.D, OSX/Shlayer.E, or ZShlayer. We have dubbed it OSX/Shlayer.F.
Reverse Engineering the Apple MultiPeer Connectivity Framework
Some time ago I was using Logic Pro to record some of my music and I needed a way to start and stop the recording from an iPhone, so I found about Logic Remote and was quite happy with it.
Analyzing a Pirrit adware installer
While Windows holds the largest market share on malware, macOS has its fair share of threats that mostly exist in an adware/grayware area. In this post I want to walk through how a Pirrit PKG file installer works. There are lots of more complex threats, but this is a good place to start if you’re just jumping into analysis. If you want to follow along at home, I’m working with this file in MalwareBazaar: https://bazaar.abuse.ch/sample/d39426dbceb54bba51587242f8101184df43cc23af7dc7b364ca2327e28e7825/.
Objective-See's Blog
Analyzing OSX.DazzleSpy A fully-featured cyber-espionage macOS implant
SysJoker analyzing the first (macOS) malware of 2022!
Earlier today (January 11th), Researchers at Intezer published an report titled, “New SysJoker Backdoor Targets Windows, Linux, and macOS.” In this report, they detailed a new cross-platform backdoor they named SysJoker. Though initially discovered on Linux, the Intezer researchers shortly thereafter also found both Windows and Mac versions: "SysJoker was first discovered during an active attack on a Linux-based web server of a leading educational institution. After further investigation, we found that SysJoker also has Mach-O and Windows PE versions." -Intezer
Hunting for Honkbox | Multistage macOS Cryptominer May Still Be Hiding
A cryptominer that uses the Invisible Internet protocol, Honkbox variants could still be evading some detection solutions.
The Mac Malware of 2022 👾
A comprehensive analysis of the year's new malware
Shlayer Malware: Continued Use of Flash Updates
Although Flash Player reached end of life for macOS in 2020, this has not stopped Shlayer operators from continuing to abuse it for malvertising campaigns.
L’art de l’évasion How Shlayer hides its configuration inside Apple proprietary DMG files
While conducting routine threat hunting for macOS malware on Ad networks, I stumbled upon an unusual Shlayer sample. Upon further analysis, it became clear that this variant was different from the known Shlayer variants such as OSX/Shlayer.D, OSX/Shlayer.E, or ZShlayer. We have dubbed it OSX/Shlayer.F.
Reverse Engineering the Apple MultiPeer Connectivity Framework
Some time ago I was using Logic Pro to record some of my music and I needed a way to start and stop the recording from an iPhone, so I found about Logic Remote and was quite happy with it.
Analyzing a Pirrit adware installer
While Windows holds the largest market share on malware, macOS has its fair share of threats that mostly exist in an adware/grayware area. In this post I want to walk through how a Pirrit PKG file installer works. There are lots of more complex threats, but this is a good place to start if you’re just jumping into analysis. If you want to follow along at home, I’m working with this file in MalwareBazaar: https://bazaar.abuse.ch/sample/d39426dbceb54bba51587242f8101184df43cc23af7dc7b364ca2327e28e7825/.
Objective-See's Blog
Analyzing OSX.DazzleSpy A fully-featured cyber-espionage macOS implant
SysJoker analyzing the first (macOS) malware of 2022!
Earlier today (January 11th), Researchers at Intezer published an report titled, “New SysJoker Backdoor Targets Windows, Linux, and macOS.” In this report, they detailed a new cross-platform backdoor they named SysJoker. Though initially discovered on Linux, the Intezer researchers shortly thereafter also found both Windows and Mac versions: *"SysJoker was first discovered during an active attack on a Linux-based web server of a leading educational institution. After further investigation, we found that SysJoker also has Mach-O and Windows PE versions." -Intezer*
Analyzing a Pirrit adware installer
While Windows holds the largest market share on malware, macOS has its fair share of threats that mostly exist in an adware/grayware area. In this post I want to walk through how a Pirrit PKG file installer works. There are lots of more complex threats, but this is a good place to start if you’re just jumping into analysis. If you want to follow along at home, I’m working with this file in MalwareBazaar: https://bazaar.abuse.ch/sample/d39426dbceb54bba51587242f8101184df43cc23af7dc7b364ca2327e28e7825/.