Mac security threats on the rise like never before — these are the risks you need to watch out for

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Buying a Mac device to remain secure from cybersecurity threats is not a tactic that will work well in 2024, new research has claimed.

A new report from Malwarebytes has claimed threats against Apple's Mac devices are on the rise, hinting users should be vigilant while surfing the treacherous waters of the internet regardless of the device they’re using.

“The days of “my Mac is safe” and “Macs don’t get malware” are definitely over. There are many signs that criminals are taking note of the platform’s increasing popularity by enabling attacks to target both Windows and Mac users at the same time,” Malwarebytes wrote.

MacStealer and AMOS on the rise

As per the company's 2024 State of Malware report, MacStealer is a relatively new infostealer targeting Mac users and gaining popularity, fast.

MacStealer is an information-stealing malware capable of grabbing cookies, passwords, and credit card data from Firefox, Google Chrome, and Brave browsers. It can exfiltrate different file types, including .txt, .doc, .jpg, and .zip. Furthermore, MacStealer can extract the KeyChain database, too. Some researchers suggest that the developers of the malware are also working on having the tool grab information stored in the Safari browser, and the Notes app, too.

In the report, Malwarebytes also warned of a campaign it spotted in September 2023 spreading the Atomic Stealer (AKA AMOS) to Mac users via malicious advertising. Just like MacStealer, AMOS can steal passwords from browsers, and Apple’s KeyChain. AMOS can also grab different files, and even steal people’s cryptocurrency.

Furthermore, malware made up 11% of all threat detections on Macs last year. Other than that, Potentially Unwanted Programs and ads were by far the biggest category, taking up 30% of all threat detections. Other notable mentions include Adware.OperatorMac (13%), OSX.Genieo (11%), and OSX.Vsearch (11%).

Via 9to5Mac

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Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.