Do you download pirated apps on your Mac? Be careful, as new research shows infected apps can hijack your Mac to mine cryptocurrencies virtually undetected.
Pirated software can cause all kinds of headaches, but Mac users might have thought themselves largely immune thanks to Apple’s reputation for solid security. Yet that complacency could prove fatal, as a new strain of nearly undetectable malware has shown.
According to research from security firm Jamf Threat Labs, pirated versions of Apple’s Final Cut Pro movie-making app have been modified to contain cryptojacking payloads. When installed, it starts using your Mac to mine the Monero cryptocurrency behind your back, potentially slowing down your machine as system resources are illegitimately gobbled up.
Worse, Jamf Threat Labs says the malware remains almost entirely undetected by both antivirus software and Apple’s own security systems.
