Tag Archives: malware

How to protect your Mac from the ‘Dark Jedi’ firmware hack

11 Replies

BurnIconXA new exploit dubbed ‘Dark Jedi’ exists for MacBook systems created before mid-2014, where a hacker can issue a malicious program to overtake the system’s firmware by simply having the system be put in sleep mode. Upon waking from sleep, the firmware on these older Macs is unlocked, which leaves them open to access and modification from applications running in OS X. This contrasts with the recent Thunderstrike firmware vulnerability that allowed hackers to overtake firmware, but required physical access to the system. Since this current vulnerability is run by way of malicious software, systems can be attacked remotely by uses of trojan horse and other social engineering approaches, but this also provides an avenue for protection. Continue reading →

‘Jellyfish’ proof-of-concept malware may inject keylogger on Macs

3 Replies

BurnIconXA proof of concept keylogging hack called Jellyfish has been in the news about security vulnerabilities in Windows and Linux systems, but according to ITWorld, a Mac version being worked on called MAC_JELLY. This malware takes advantage of the graphics processing environments on modern PC systems, allowing a hacker to inject code that will monitor the system by way of a unique remote access trojan (RAT). While demonstrated on Windows and Linux systems, Apple’s OpenCL environment leaves Macs vulnerable as well. Continue reading →

Chinese authorities nab ‘WireLurker’ malware creators

Leave a reply

BurnIconXThe Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Security has announced Chinese authorities have arrested and charged three individuals with developing and operating the Web sites responsible for the recent “WireLurker” malware attacks on Apple’s iOS systems.

The threat, which was found earlier this month, allowed hackers to install malware on iOS devices by way of vulnerabilities in Apple’s enterprise provisioning routines. Continue reading →

How to protect yourself from ‘Masque Attacks’ that replace iOS apps with malware

2 Replies

BurnIconXFollowing the recent finding of the widespread WireLurker malware that allows an infected system to hijack iOS applications and replace contents to convert them into malicious programs, security researchers at FireEye have revealed this as part of a long-standing flaw in iOS that similarly allows apps to be replaced with malware programs.

This vulnerability uses the same enterprise provisioning routines that are used by WireLurker, but the approach Continue reading →

FAQ on how to detect and remove WireLurker from OS X and iOS

15 Replies

BurnIconXFollowing the recent Wirelurker malware that was discovered yesterday, Apple has taken some rapid steps to fix it, including releasing an XProtect update to detect programs that are run on OS X which may contain the malware, and revoking developer certificates for compromised applications that are being used as vectors to spread the malware. In addition to these steps, if you suspect your Mac or iOS system might have been infected, then there are some steps you can take to detect and remove it from your system. Continue reading →

New ‘iWorm’ botnet discovered affecting OS X systems

5 Replies

BurnIconXA new botnet malware threat called ‘Mac.BackDoor.iWorm’ has been discovered by Russian security firm Dr. Web, which claims it is affecting more than 17,000 OS X systems. When installed, the malware will search the popular online community Reddit for pages containing links to command & control servers. At this point the infected system begins communicating with the servers and other systems connected to them, allowing the system to be used in tandem with others for various Continue reading →

Russian hackers arrested in possible ‘Oleg Pliss’ iOS ransom attack

1 Reply

BurnIconXThe Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the hackers responsible for the recent ransom attack on iOS users, may have been arrested in Russia.

The hackers, aged 17 and 23, were from the Southern Administrative District of Moscow, and where apprehended when they were in the act of withdrawing stolen funds Continue reading →