Malware And Viruses On Apple/Mac Systems Are On The Rise

For most of Apple's history, the company has been able to cast itself as a safer alternative to Windows-based computers. Hackers tended to focus the bulk of their efforts on Wintel boxes (Windows processors), rather than Apple machines. That has been changing in recent months. According to research conducted by Malwarebytes, over the past twelve months, there has been a significant upsurge in the number of attacks made against Macs.

To give you a sense of the scope and scale of the increase, in prior years, the average number of detections per Mac clocked in at 4.8, while the number of detections per Windows-based PC was 5.8. In 2019, the average number of detections per Windows-based PC remained unchanged, while the average number of detections per Mac spiked to 11, more than doubling in a single year.

The researchers note, however, that the types of threats Mac users face are very different from the threats presented against Windows-based PCs, and are generally not dangerous. For instance, the most common infections Mac users suffer from are adware programs that display unwanted ads to infected recipients.

Naturally, there are cases of ransomware, keyloggers and banking trojans that target Macs. However, they are relatively less common than similar infections on Windows-based PCs.
If you're a Mac user, don't breathe a sigh of relief just yet though. The Malwarebytes
research team concludes by warning us. They say although the attacks against Macs are currently less destructive than the attacks made against Windows-based PCs, that could change at any moment. There's nothing whatsoever keeping the hackers from swapping out adware in preference for a much more threatening piece of code.

All that to say, whatever type of computer you use day to day, it pays to keep your guard up. Nobody is truly safe.

Keep your devices, systems, and networks from malware, viruses, and other types of online threats. Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville and let our team of IT experts help you.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

Shlayer Malware Continues To Attack Mac Systems

If you're a Mac user, you may have heard of the malware known as Shlayer. It first made headlines in the early part of 2018.

The malware is primarily used to install malicious adware on infected systems that spam an unreasonable number of popups. The popups generate ad revenue for the malware's controllers.

The malicious code recently celebrated its second birthday, and the hackers who developed it have been busy in that time. According to statistics gathered by Kaspersky Lab, Shlayer has found its way onto one in ten Mac systems, making it the most widely spread MacOS malware threat.

Shlayer finds its way onto target machines via a staggering variety of roads. Researchers have uncovered more than 700 poisoned domains that host the code. The code is linked to a wide range of legitimate websites including YouTube and in the footnotes of a variety of Wikipedia articles.

The main method of distribution, however, is via fake Flash Player updates that have infiltrated literally thousands of websites. The malicious code is also often found on websites that illegally stream sporting events and television shows. The illegal websites conveniently often feature ads that inform site visitors that they need to download a Flash update in order to watch the content they're interested in viewing.

One of the security researchers at Kaspersky Lab, Anton Ivanov, had this to say about the matter:

"The macOS platform is a good source of revenue for cybercriminals, who are constantly looking for new ways to deceive users, and actively use social engineering techniques to spread their malware. This case demonstrates that such threats can be found even on legitimate sites."

Indeed. Although the popular perception is that MacOS is much less prone to malware threats, as Shlayer demonstrates, it is by no means immune.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville and let our team help you set in place effective cybersecrity measures to protect your systems and networks from malware and other online threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer