Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Bitcoin-Stealing OS X Trojan Now Masquerading as 'Angry Birds' and Other Popular Mac Apps

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,481
30,713



bitcoin1.png
A Bitcoin-stealing trojan has been detected in downloads claiming to be cracked versions of popular Mac applications, reports security firm ESET through its We Live Security blog. The OSX/CoinThief.A malware was discovered in popular Bitcoin software earlier this month by SecureMac, but is now being used to target users of more mainstream apps.

The trojan initially surfaced on open source software hosting site GitHub, and it was quickly bundled into several Bitcoin apps available through multiple download sites. Further investigation by ESET has now uncovered the trojan masquerading as cracked versions of popular Mac apps such as BBEdit, Pixelmator, Angry Birds, and Delicious Library.

OSX/CoinThief.A involves a malicious browser add-on used to intercept logins for Bitcoin wallet sites and related exchanges such as MtGox, BTC-e, and blockchain.info. Stolen login credentials are then forwarded to the malware's developer.
There is clearly strong evidence that the trojan was specifically designed to profit from the current Bitcoin craze and fluctuating exchange rates.

According to detection statistics gathered by the ESET LiveGrid, the threat is mostly active amongst Mac users based in the United States.
Click to expand...
The websites where these files are being distributed from have not been revealed, but Mac owners can prevent infection by avoiding pirated software and downloading titles directly from the developer's website or the Mac App Store. Users can find instructions on how to check for and remove the malware on SecureMac's blog post.

Article Link: Bitcoin-Stealing OS X Trojan Now Masquerading as 'Angry Birds' and Other Popular Mac Apps
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/27/bitcoin-trojan-angry-birds/
E

El Hikaru

macrumors regular
Dec 3, 2013
221
79
Every news paper talks about bitcoin nowadays. I am more impressed by bitcoin concept than its potential harm.
 
D

dustinsc

macrumors regular
Nov 21, 2009
230
52
Downloading cracked apps is like eating out of a garbage bin. Sure, you might find something that looks tasty in there, but even if it looks good it will still probably get you sick.
 
FirstNTenderbit

FirstNTenderbit

macrumors 6502
Jan 15, 2013
355
0
Atlanta
Seems to be a catch22 for Apple. The more successful and ubiquitous it becomes, the more it will be targeted by the nefarious. All the more so because of the statistical affluence of the user base. That's a shame.
 
W

WallToWallMacs

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2014
166
0
FirstNTenderbit said:
Seems to be a catch22 for Apple. The more successful and ubiquitous it becomes, the more it will be targeted by the nefarious. All the more so because of the statistical affluence of the user base. That's a shame.
Click to expand...

How is it a catch 22 for Apple when there are idiots going out to download pirated software because they're too bloody cheap to purchase a legitimate copy via the AppStore? That's like blaming Microsoft for some person downloading Creative Suite off a bittorrenting website then complaining that all their credit card information has been stolen and its apparently all Microsoft's fault.
 
B

bflowers

macrumors 6502a
Jul 19, 2006
636
136
Shady activity resulting in the theft of a shady currency.

Hmm. So in order to expose yourself to a criminal, you have to do something criminal yourself. Not that Bitcoin is safe anyway.
 
D

dlowings

macrumors member
Jan 23, 2011
50
0
Osx

The scary part is this talks about OSX not iOS... This really sucks .. People rag on jailbrake, but this goes deeper than jail broken phones..
 
LordVic

LordVic

Cancelled
Sep 7, 2011
5,938
12,458
WallToWallMacs said:
How is it a catch 22 for Apple when there are idiots going out to download pirated software because they're too bloody cheap to purchase a legitimate copy via the AppStore? That's like blaming Microsoft for some person downloading Creative Suite off a bittorrenting website then complaining that all their credit card information has been stolen and its apparently all Microsoft's fault.
Click to expand...

I think the point he's making is that even 10 years ago, hen Apple was < 5% share of all computers out there, selling a few thousand a year, Nobody cared to write anything that affected Apple computers and OSx.

Now that Apple computers are a household name, with a lot more sales and actually starting to penetrate the PC market in a measurable way, Their claim that Apple computers are infinitely more secure than Windows based PC's because of obscurity is starting to diminish.

We are seeing more and more OSx based attacks over the last year.
 
KdParker

KdParker

macrumors 601
Oct 1, 2010
4,793
998
Everywhere
Bitcoin is in its infancy and will have to see where this will end.

But downloading 'cracked' software rarely seems to be a good idea.
 
skottichan

skottichan

macrumors 65816
Oct 23, 2007
1,090
1,269
Columbus, OH
musika said:
Bad week for security.
Click to expand...

This issue, not so much. Mostly, because it's a relatively old scam for Macs. One of the more recent ones was a Trojan that came hidden in pirated versions of Photoshop, Office and iWork.

This is why stuff like Gatekeeper and signing exists, as well as Apple's ability to feed machines with anti-malware behind the scenes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom