“Security researchers have discovered a macOS malware program that’s likely part of the arsenal used by the Russian cyberespionage group blamed for hacking into the U.S. Democratic National Committee last year,” Lucian Constantin reports for IDG News Service. “The group, which is known in the security industry under different names, including Fancy Bear, Pawn Storm, and APT28, has been operating for almost a decade. It is believed to be the sole user and likely developer of a Trojan program called Sofacy or X-Agent. X-Agent variants for Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS have been found in the wild in the past, but researchers from Bitdefender have now come across what appears to be the first macOS version of the Trojan.”
“It’s possible a macOS malware downloader dubbed Komplex, found in September, might be involved,” Constantin reports. “Komplex infected Macs by exploiting a known vulnerability in the MacKeeper antivirus software, according to researchers from Palo Alto Networks who investigated the malware at the time.”
“APT28 is considered to be one of the most sophisticated and successful cyberespionage groups in the world and it frequently uses zero-day exploits,” Constantin reports. “The group has been blamed for many hacking operations around the world over the years, and its selection of targets has frequently reflected Russia’s geopolitical interests.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Do not install MacKeeper. Certainly do not buy MacKeeper. If you have MacKeeper, uninstall it now.
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Controversial MacKeeper security program opens critical hole on Mac computers – May 12, 2015
What ‘MacKeeper’ is and why you should avoid it – January 21, 2015
How to uninstall MacKeeper from your Mac – December 19, 2014