Experts Warn of macOS Backdoor Hidden in Pirated Versions of Popular Software

Pirated applications concentrating on Apple macOS end users have been noticed that contains a backdoor able of granting attackers distant management to contaminated devices.

“These programs are currently being hosted on Chinese pirating web-sites in buy to acquire victims,” Jamf Threat Labs scientists Ferdous Saljooki and Jaron Bradley explained.

“After detonated, the malware will download and execute several payloads in the track record in buy to secretly compromise the victim’s device.”

The backdoored disk image (DMG) files, which have been modified to create communications with actor-managed infrastructure, consist of reputable software package like Navicat Top quality, UltraEdit, FinalShell, SecureCRT, and Microsoft Remote Desktop.

The unsigned purposes, besides staying hosted on a Chinese site named macyy[.]cn, integrate a dropper ingredient called “dylib” that is executed each individual time the application is opened.

The dropper then functions as a conduit to fetch a backdoor (“bd.log”) as properly as a downloader (“fl01.log”) from a remote server, which is applied to established up persistence and fetch extra payloads on the compromised device.

The backdoor – created to the path “/tmp/.check” – is thoroughly-highlighted and developed atop an open-supply post-exploitation toolkit named Khepri. The truth that it is situated in the “/tmp” listing means it will be deleted when the method shuts down.

That reported, it will be designed yet again at the similar area the upcoming time the pirated software is loaded and the dropper is executed.

On the other hand, the downloader is created to the hidden path “/Buyers/Shared/.fseventsd,” subsequent which it makes a LaunchAgent to make certain persistence and sends an HTTP GET ask for to an actor-managed server.

While the server is no extended obtainable, the downloader is created to generate the HTTP reaction to a new file positioned at /tmp/.fseventsds and then start it.

Jamf stated the malware shares a number of similarities with ZuRu, which has been observed in the past spreading by means of pirated programs on Chinese web-sites.

“It is feasible that this malware is a successor to the ZuRu malware specified its targeted programs, modified load commands and attacker infrastructure,” the scientists reported.

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Some parts of this article are sourced from:
thehackernews.com