Security News > 2021 > February > New Silver Sparrow malware infects 30,000 Macs for unknown purpose
A new macOS malware known as Silver Sparrow has silently infected almost 30,000 Mac devices with malware whose purpose is a mystery.
In a collaboration between Red Canary, Malwarebytes, and VMware Carbon Black, researchers have found a new Mac malware that exhibits unusual properties, including a component explicitly compiled for the new Apple M1 chip.
In a new report by RedCanary, researchers reveal a new malware targeting Mac devices that is unlike most infections developed for the operating system.
Unlike most macOS adware which uses 'preinstall' and 'postinstall' scripts to execute commands or install further malware, Silver Sparrow utilizes JavaScript to execute its commands.
The Intel and Mach-O binaries included with Silver Sparrow seem to be placeholders for an in-development malware as executing them only displays a screen stating 'Hello World' or 'You did it!,' as shown below.
If you use Malwarebytes for Mac, the program was updated over a week ago to detect if the Silver Sparrow malware is installed.