• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

PyPI maintainers alert users to email verification phishing attack

 | 

FBI seizes 20 BTC from Chaos Ransomware affiliate targeting Texas firms

 | 

Critical SAP flaw exploited to launch Auto-Color Malware attack on U.S. company

 | 

Orange reports major cyberattack, warns of service disruptions

 | 

Hackers leak images and comments from women dating safety app Tea

 | 

Pro-Ukraine hacktivists claim cyberattack on Russian Airline Aeroflot that caused the cancellation of +100 flights

 | 

Seychelles Commercial Bank Reported Cybersecurity Incident

 | 

Microsoft uncovers macOS flaw allowing bypass TCC protections and exposing sensitive data

 | 

U.S. CISA adds Cisco ISE and PaperCut NG/MF flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Critical WordPress Post SMTP plugin flaw exposes 200K+ sites to full takeover

 | 

Scattered Spider targets VMware ESXi in using social engineering

 | 

China-linked group Fire Ant exploits VMware and F5 flaws since early 2025

 | 

Allianz Life data breach exposed the data of most of its 1.4M customers

 | 

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 55

 | 

Security Affairs newsletter Round 534 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

 | 

Law enforcement operations seized BlackSuit ransomware gang’s darknet sites

 | 

Arizona woman sentenced for aiding North Korea in U.S. IT job fraud scheme

 | 

Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

 | 

Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

 | 

Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Malware
  • Mac OS X is no longer immune, reveals Kaspersky’s 2014 Malware countdown

Mac OS X is no longer immune, reveals Kaspersky’s 2014 Malware countdown

Pierluigi Paganini December 11, 2014

Apple’s Mac OS X is no longer immune to malware and bugs says Kaspersky Security Lab.A survey of 2014 reveals that more malware attacks targeted Mac.

For years, Mac OS X has been flaunted as the most immune OS to malwares and bugs. Well, the reign of Mac might end in 2014, with users’ on the receiving end of over 1,499 new malicious programs, which is just a fraction of the 3,693,936 malwares targeted on Mac users, according to a 2014 security bulletin by a Russian anti-virus and internet security firm Kaspersky Labs.

“Over the past few years, we’ve discovered more and more malicious samples targeting Mac devices. Yet, there still remains a common misconception that Mac OS X is safe from malware and viruses,” said David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

Adware top the list of 20 most malicious programs targeted on Mac OS users. Adware are spread through legitimate programs downloaded from App stores rather than buying from official websites of the developers. Once installed on the computer, the adware can add advertising extensions to browsers, change the default search engine among a host of other malicious activities says Kaspersky.

The 2014 malware countdown won’t be complete without WireLurker malware which freaked out millions of Mac users earlier this year. The malware which originated from Chinese App store, Trojanized over 467 App and infected over 300,000 Apple users.

“WireLurker malware not only threatened OS X itself, but also used Macs as a carrier to get to iOS devices connected to the infected Mac,” notes Kaspersky

Other notable malware threats to Mac users as reported by Kaspersky include;

  • OSX.Callme- a malicious program distributed through MS word, which gave online fraudsters remote back door access to a system while at the same time propagating itself to all listed contacts on the compromised machine.
  • OSX.Laoshu– malicious program which makes screenshots every minute. The malware is signed by the trusted certificate of the developer therefore eluding many anti-malware programs in the victim’s system.
  • Trojan spyware with a remote control function that enabled hackers to intercept key strokes
  • Trojan-Spy.OSX.CoinStealer – a one of its kind malicious programs designed to steal bitcoins for OS X. It imitates different bitcoin utilities built from open source code while it installs a malicious browser extension and/or a patched version of bitcoin-qt.

Geographically, Mac users in US suffered the most malware infections in 2014, leading the pack at 39.14%, followed by Germany 12.56%, Japan 5.51% UK 5.49% Russia 4.87% and France 3.69% of all reported infections.

mac os x virus trojan

 

Its terms of vulnerabilities, ShellShock is probably the bug of the year for Mac OS X users. The bug is coding mistake Bash, a software originally authored by Brian fox in the 70’s. Shellshock affected all Unix based operating systems including Apple Mac OS X, Linux and GNU. It allowed a malicious hacker to gain full control of a compromised system without a password or encryption key.

In such a precarious environment, Mac OS X users can no longer afford to be complacent in terms of keeping up with security updates and fortifying the defense mechanism.

“The myth of Mac OS X being invulnerable no longer stands true, and as cyber criminals continue to evolve their attack methods, users should also evolve by taking the necessary steps to bolster security on their Mac devices,” said Emm.

Kaspersky 2014 bulletin listed Oracle Java as the most vulnerable application used by fraudsters to spread malwares to users. Oracle Java accounted for 45% of malware sent to users, a significant drop from 90% last year. Other vectors include Browsers, Adobe Reader, Adobe flash player and Microsoft office.

Kaspersky is also cautioned users against a growing threat on mobile users. In 2014 alone, the antivirus firm blocked at least 1,363,549 unique attacks on mobile user compared to 335,000 attacks recorded last year. This trend is expected to continue in 2015 with more mobile banking Trojan expected in the coming year.

“In 2014 mobile malware focused on financial issues: the number of mobile banking Trojans was nine times greater than in the previous year and development in this area is continuing at an alarming rate,” said Roman Unuchek, senior mobile malware analyst at Kaspersky Lab.

(Security Affairs –  Mac OS X, malware)

Written by: Ali Qamar, Founder/Chief Editor at SecurityGladiators.com

Author Bio:
Ali Qamar is an Internet security research enthusiast who enjoys “deep” research to dig out modern discoveries in the security industry. He is the founder and chief editor at Security Gladiators, an ultimate source for cyber security. To be frank and honest, Ali started working online as a freelancer and still shares the knowledge for a living. He is passionate about sharing the knowledge with people, and always try to give only the best. Follow Ali on Twitter @AliQammar57


facebook linkedin twitter

2014 cyber espionage Kaspersky LINUX Mac OS X malware WireLurker

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 30, 2025
PyPI maintainers alert users to email verification phishing attack
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 30, 2025
FBI seizes 20 BTC from Chaos Ransomware affiliate targeting Texas firms
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    PyPI maintainers alert users to email verification phishing attack

    Hacking / July 30, 2025

    FBI seizes 20 BTC from Chaos Ransomware affiliate targeting Texas firms

    Cyber Crime / July 30, 2025

    Critical SAP flaw exploited to launch Auto-Color Malware attack on U.S. company

    Malware / July 30, 2025

    Orange reports major cyberattack, warns of service disruptions

    Security / July 29, 2025

    Hackers leak images and comments from women dating safety app Tea

    Data Breach / July 29, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT