Apple users targeted in first known Mac ransomware campaign

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-ransomware-idUSKCN0W80VX

by devhxinc • 10 years ago

62 13 10 years ago

valine3• 10 years ago

It's actually kind of surprising this is the first occurrence of ransomware on Apple's platform. It seems Macs are still, at least to some degree, protected by security through obscurity.

briandear• 10 years ago

Is that true? Or is it that the Mac App Store makes this sort of thing very difficult? Say what you want about walled gardens, but for the vast majority of users it does have value.

valine3• 10 years ago

Hardly anyone uses the Mac App Store. The iPhone App Store is orders of magnitude more successful. From a developers perspective it's all but impossible to turn a reasonable profit. Source: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/05/07/redacted-mac-app-profits...

tptacek• 10 years ago

It's less "security through obscurity" than it is "security through not being worth attacking". If that's changed, it's only changed recently.

afloatboat• 10 years ago

From what I've read it only seems to affect people that downloaded Transmission via the website and not those who used the in app updater. [1]

I've updated to 2.90 the day it came out and don't seem to have the process running.

[1] http://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/06/mac-ransomware-transmiss...

cpach• 10 years ago

See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11234589

hnmcs• 10 years ago

Came expecting a pun regarding old files / applications that failed to work after a forced system OS upgrade.

Was disappointed.

Not that Apple is distinctly notable for ransoming your one-time files and applications; on the contrary I've heard more often about people having issues when their Windows / Other OS reaches the end of its support.

edit: It was sarcasm and I know your downvote policies, etc, etc. I just know you guys sometimes roll with the funny punnies, and I was seeing if I had what it took this once. Maybe next time I'll nail a good one though, with a little more creativity and a little more funny to it. Contentless statements can exist here, and I want to learn to make them.

pdabbadabba• 10 years ago

Contentless statements can exist here, and I want to learn to make them.

Now there's an aspiration. Reach for the stars, buddy!

sccxy• 10 years ago

Pretty sure that Transmission is not the only application infected. Waiting for more bad news :(

toyg• 10 years ago

Uh? Do you know anything specific?

CamatHN• 10 years ago

From the article: To check whether you have the malware installed:

Using “Activity Monitor” preinstalled in OS X, check whether any process named “kernel_service” is running. If so, double check the process, choose the “Open Files and Ports” and check whether there is a file name like “/Users//Library/kernel_service”. If so, the process is KeRanger’s main process. We suggest terminating it with “Quit -> Force Quit”

Apple users targeted in first known Mac ransomware campaign

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