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| (pc-Google Images) |
The ransomware encrypts data stored on the Mac and demands payment for it to be released. The spyware, known as Macspy, keeps track on a victim’s every move before stealing important information and private data, relaying it back to a server controlled by the hackers behind the malicious software.
The two programs were uncovered by the security firms Fortinet and AlienVault, which found a portal on the Tor "dark web" network that acted as a shopfront for both.
The firms warned the threats were particularly bad as they were designed by professional software developers with “extensive experience” of creating malicious code.
Researchers also warned that the ransomware targeting Mac users isn’t as sophisticated as the type typically used to target Windows machines.
They said that that encrypted files can be lost indefinitely as an error in the tool used to decrypt data meant that files could not always be restored properly.
“Even if it is far inferior to most current ransomware targeting Windows, it doesn’t fail to encrypt victim’s files or prevent access to important files, thereby causing real damage,” researchers said.
Mac users are advised to make sure their devices are kept up to date with the latest security and software updates and that antivirus software should also be installed.
