In March 2016 Apple shut down the first ransomware attack targeted against Mac users, encrypting the user's confidential information. Malware has also been spread on Macs through Microsoft Word macros. This term is described as calendar virus Īdware is also a problem on the Mac, with software like Genieo, which was released in 2009, inserting ads into webpages and changing users' homepage and search engine. Thread affects OS notifications for events. In 2021 cybercriminals found new way to attack victims - through suspicious online ad's. Coin Thief – Stole bitcoin login credentials through cracked Angry Birds applicationsĪ trojan known as Keydnap first appeared in 2016, which placed a backdoor on victims' computers.Appetite – Trojan horse targeting government organizations.The malware forced Oracle and Apple to release bug fixes for Java to remove the vulnerability.īit9 and Carbon Black reported at the end of 2015 that Mac malware had been more prolific that year than ever before, including: Initially, it infected computers through fake Adobe Flash Player install prompts, but it later exploited a vulnerability in Java to install itself without user intervention. In 2012, a worm known as Flashback appeared. The trojan MacDefender (2011) used a similar tactic, combined with displaying popups. History Įarly examples of macOS malware include Leap (discovered in 2006, also known as Oompa-Loompa) and RSPlug (discovered in 2007).Īn application called MacSweeper (2009) misled users about malware threats in order to take their credit card details.

Utilities are also available to find and remove malware. There is a frequent release of system software updates to resolve vulnerabilities. macOS (previously Mac OS X and OS X) is said to rarely suffer malware or virus attacks, and has been considered less vulnerable than Windows. MacOS malware includes viruses, trojan horses, worms and other types of malware that affect macOS, Apple's current operating system for Macintosh computers. Please introduce links to this page from related articles try the Find link tool for suggestions. This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it.

Remove malware on mac os x