Mysterious Mac Malware Has Infected Hundreds of Victims For Years (vice.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: A mysterious piece of malware has been infecting hundreds of Mac computers for years -- and no one noticed until a few months ago. The malware is called "FruitFly," and one of its variants, "FruitFly 2" has infected at least 400 victims over the years. FruitFly 2 is intriguing and mysterious: its goals, who's behind it, and how it infects victims, are all unknown. Earlier this year, an ex-NSA hacker started looking into a piece of malware he described to me as "unique" and "intriguing." It was a slightly different strain of a malware discovered on four computers earlier this year by security firm Malwarebytes, known as "FruitFly." This first strain had researchers scratching their heads. On the surface, the malware seemed "simplistic." It was programmed mainly to surreptitiously monitor victims through their webcams, capture their screens, and log keystrokes. But, strangely, it went undetected since at least 2015. There was no indication of who could be behind it, and it contained "ancient" functions and "rudimentary" remote control capabilities, Malwarebytes's Thomas Reed wrote at the time.

Comments

400 over 10 years?

[Anonymous Coward]

More Window$ PCs were infected by malware while reading this post.

Best bet, but nothing is secure

[605dave]

I think Mac users stopped saying the Mac was immune about 10 years ago. My take on it is that out of the two major desktop options, Windows and Mac, the Mac is the safer bet. As is iOS over Android.

Linux isn't an option for me or most users on the desktop. Too complicated for average users, and for those who rely on creative apps no real options. (please don't tell me about open source alternatives to Photoshop, ProTools etc, they aren't as good. Apple products are not bullet proof, but I still believe for the average user and creative types they are the best option security wise.

Re:Best bet, but nothing is secure

[Anubis IV]

Since when were Pro Tools and Photoshop Apple products?

He never suggested they were. He merely said that there were "no real options" for alternatives to those apps on Linux, a claim to which you provided no counterexamples. Then again, suggesting there are "no real options" sounds like a setup for a No True Scotsman fallacy, so I'm not sure that you would have been able to suggest anything to his satisfaction anyway.

Stalker Malware?

[mykepredko]

With the very low number of infections and the monitoring of the user through like the webcam, I would think this is a case where looking at the owners of the infected Macs would yield a lot more information about the author and its purpose.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was on the Macs of individuals who have had issues with stalkers in the past.