January 3, 2024 at 07:42AM
In 2023, 21 new malware families targeting macOS systems were discovered by security researcher Patrick Wardle, representing a 50% increase from 2022. Wardle’s blog post provides detailed analysis of each family’s characteristics and their potential impact on Apple devices. Notable threats include ransomware, infostealers, APT-developed malware, and variations of existing malware.
Based on the meeting notes:
– A total of 21 new malware families targeted macOS systems in 2023, which represents a 50% increase compared to 2022.
– The new malware families were described in detail in a blog post by Patrick Wardle, including their infection vectors, persistence mechanisms, features, and purposes.
– Notable malware includes a Mac version of the LockBit file encryptor, a piece of ransomware named Turtle, and several information stealers designed to collect sensitive data from compromised devices.
– APT groups, including those linked to North Korea and Iran, developed Mac malware in 2023, such as SmoothOperator, RustBucket, KandyKorn, ObjCShellz, FullHouse.Doored, StratoFear, TieDye, JokerSpy, and NokNok.
– Additionally, cybersecurity industry has spotted the iWebUpdater backdoor and updater, new variants of the CoinMiner and XLoader malware, and potential macOS versions of the Triangulation implant, hVNC, and ShadowVault, which have yet to be seen in the wild.