Security News > 2023 > December > New proxy malware targets Mac users through pirated software
Cybercriminals are targeting Mac users with a new proxy trojan malware bundled with popular, copyrighted macOS software being offered on warez sites.
Proxy trojan malware infects computers, turning them into traffic-forwarding terminals used to anonymize malicious or illegal activities such as hacking, phishing, and transactions for illicit goods.
The latest campaign pushing proxy malware was discovered by Kaspersky, which reports the earliest submission of the payload on VirusTotal dates to April 28, 2023.
Kaspersky found 35 image editing, video compression and editing, data recovery, and network scanning tools laced with the proxy trojan to bait users looking for free versions of commercial software.
Because installer files are executed with administrator rights, any scripts they execute gain the same permissions when performing dangerous actions, including file modification, file autorun, and command execution.
In addition to the macOS campaign using PKGs, the same C2 infrastructure hosts proxy trojan payloads for Android and Windows architectures, so the same operators likely target a wide range of systems.