Macs targeted by almost two dozen newly emergent payloads last year

Twenty-two new malware families — including Banshee, PyStealer, CloudChat, Cthulhu, BeaverTail, and Poseidon — have targeted macOS systems last year, which was relatively unchanged from 2023 but a significant increase from 2021 and 2022, SecurityWeek reports.

Aside from the Banshee, CloudChat, PyStealer, and Poseidon payloads that focus on cryptocurrency wallet theft, Macs have also been subjected to attacks with the NotLockBit ransomware and the North Korea-linked SpectralBlur implant, according to a report from Apple cybersecurity researcher Patrick Wardle. Other backdoors deployed against macOS systems include Zuru, HZ Rat, HiddenRisk, and RustDoor, as well as the North Korea-linked DPRK Downloader, ToDoSwift, InletDrift, and RustyAttr downloaders, the China-linked SnowLight and EvasivePanda, and the Activator, Unnamed Downloader, and VShell Downloader. Wardle has released technical details on these threats, including their infection methods and persistence mechanisms, stressing the need for improved macOS security measures as cybercriminals refine their tactics and expand their reach.