An old malware trick is being given new life as an infection targeting OS X users, according to researchers.
Security firm Malwarebytes said that it
had spotted a new crop of OS X 'ransomware' attacks which attempt to
extort money out of users. Posing as an FBI piracy notification, the
malware locks a user's system and demands that a 'fine' be paid through
an online payment system.
The ransomware technique is a tried and
true extortion method for cybercriminals. Often using the guise of law
enforcement or anti-piracy notifications, the infection will lock off
access to the target system and demand that users pay a fee in order to
regain access to their systems.
Though the FBI and other government
agencies have never delivered official notifications through unsolicited
emails or browser notifications, malware writers continue to extort
payments from users worried or embarrassed about having their online
activities uncovered.
For OS X users, the attack will demand
that a $300 payment be made via a re-loadable payment card service.
Attempting to navigate away from the page will trigger a series of
alerts which will prevent users from closing or leaving the site.
“The bad guys know there is a growing
market of Apple consumers who, for the most part, feel pretty safe about
browsing the Internet on a Mac without the need for any security
product,” wrote Malwarebytes researcher Jerome Segura.
“Cyber-criminals, well known for not
re-inventing the wheel, have ‘ported’ the latest ransomware to OS X, not
by using some complicated exploit but rather leveraging the browser and
its ‘restore from crash’ feature.”
The company said that users can navigate
away from the phony notification page by resetting Safari to clear out
cache and history, preventing the page from auto-loading when the
browser is restarted.
No comments:
Post a Comment