If you use a Mac, beware. The Russian cyberspies blamed for the US election hacks are now targeting Macs. Security researchers have discovered a malware targeting Mac’s that is very likely a variant of the malware used to hack the Democratic National Committee during last year’s election. What’s worse is that this particular piece of malware is believed to be tied to a group affiliated with the Russian military intelligence service.
Yes, the Russian hackers. The same hackers that are being talked about by the news media each and every day for their reported efforts to sway the US Presidential election and their potential undue influence over the present Administration. 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.
Politics aside, this group is purported to be the most sophisticated hacking organization in the world. Why they are now targeting Mac computers is not yet known. Nor is it known how they are distributing the malware, but it’s out there. If you are using MacKeeper for anti-virus, replace it, a vulnerability in that program appears to be the most plausible point of penetration.
Don’t buy in to popular misconception that Mac’s are not vulnerable to virus and malware attacks. They are and this certainly proves it. Be sure you have strong anti-virus and anti-malware protection, keep it updated and perform regular deep scans on your Mac to be sure it’s clean.
Additional MAC Malware information from Bitdefender Labs: https://labs.bitdefender.com/2017/02/new-xagent-mac-malware-linked-with-the-apt28/
