Bad news for crypto fans who use Mac OS as a new trojan virus has been discovered hidden inside Cointicker. The Cointicker is a Mac app that allows users to see the current price of a range of cryptocurrencies in their main menu bar. Once Cointicker is installed, it will begin to download and install two known backdoor apps that leave Apple computers vulnerable to a whole host of attacks. Both EggShell and EvilOSX give the hackers the ability to take total control of any Apple machine, leaving crypto fans open to an endless possibility of potential attacks.
Target Not Yet Identified
A security researcher at Malwarebytes discovered the trojan in Cointicker back in 2018, but has just published his findings. Currently the ultimate goal of the trojan virus us not yet known, but seeing as it’s buried in a crypto price tracking app, there is a good chance that it’s sniffing around looking for seed phrases, private keys and 2FA credentials. This could devastate anyone who uses their infected computer to transact using cryptos or store cryptos as it scrapes off key wallet information.
Windows Users Get a Scare
The latest version of Electrum for Windows has been giving users a scare as it throws a false positive for being a trojan virus. Version 3.3.3 was built using a different compiler and installer, one that anti-virus platforms automatically associate with trojan viruses. Thankfully the Electrum wallet incident was merely a false positive, however it has still caused a number of alarm bells to ring and people to begin doubting the integrity of the 3.3.3 build.
AI Malware Infecting Computers
While malware is actually on the decrease, a new strain of super intelligent AI based malware is targeting people who transact using cryptos. Once installed on a machine, it will change the wallet addresses displayed on screen while the page is loading. This means that you will in fact be sending a crypto transaction to the hacker group rather than the intended recipient. It was first noticed on the Wikipedia donation page by a crypto donor, but it has in fact now spread around the web.
Any Mac user who has the Cryptoticker app installed on their machine is advised to take their computer to a specialist and say they suspect that EggShell and EvilOSX have both been installed. The machine can then be repaired and will once again be safe to use. When it comes to protecting your cryptos, you can never be too safe!
