Some of us are old enough to remember the days when malware was strictly a Windows problem. Macs were more secure by design, but another key factor was that there weren’t enough of them in use to make Mac malware a sensible use of time for attackers.
With Macs now very much a mainstream choice for consumers and businesses alike, they’ve also become a far more attractive target for cybercriminals – and Mac malware is a real and growing problem …
Mac malware is a rapidly growing threat
Last year, 21 new Mac malware families were discovered in active use – a 50% increase from 2022. It’s also becoming far more dangerous in its capabilities.
MacStealer, for example, is able to extract passwords and credit card data from your Keychain. A more powerful version, Atomic macOS Stealer, can do the same – but also compromise a wide range of cryptocurrency wallets. Another example discovered in March of this year does the same, security researchers describing it as having “an alarming level of sophistication.”
One particularly nasty form of malware is code which is able to connect to command and control servers to download new payloads. ObjCShellz is an example of a Mac version, which can be remotely updated by attackers to give it new capabilities.
Cybercriminals have also grown better at bypassing the protections Apple builds into macOS.
Small & medium businesses are at particular risk
Small & medium businesses (SMBs) are a particularly attractive target for cybercriminals, as they offer the potential for far greater financial gains than consumers – but usually represent a much softer target than enterprise-level businesses.
Huntress is a company founded by former NSA cyber operators, with one simple goal: Provide SMBs with the same sophisticated protection against attackers previously only available to enterprise companies.
Register now for this free webinar
The company invites you to a webinar jam-packed with information on the hidden threats, strategies, and solutions you can use to secure your macOS systems. It will debunk the myths surrounding macOS security, and provide hard information and practical steps you can take to secure the Macs used in your business.
- The lightning-fast speed of macOS-specific threats, and the hackers behind them
- Why relying solely on native macOS defenses is a risky bet
- Real-life incidents where unsuspecting companies fell victim
- How to distinguish true cybersecurity solutions from the pretenders
- Practical strategies to combat the growing macOS threats and stop hackers in their tracks
Register now to secure your free place on the webinar taking place on May 23.
Photo by Hostaphoto on Unsplash
