Security researchers have warned they’ve spotted a new ransomware variant that targets macOS devices in the wild.
According to Varonis’s February 2021 Malware Trends Report, EvilQuest, also known as ThiefQuest and Mac.Ransom.K, is ransomware that aims to encrypt macOS devices, which are typically less affected by this type of threat.
Ben Zion Lavi, a researcher at Varonis, said another unusual detail about EvilQuest that stands out compared to other ransomware variants is it uses symmetric encryption all the way, as opposed to using an asymmetric key in at least one stage of the encryption.
“This means that the key that was used to encrypt the file can be used to decrypt it, thus making the challenge of decrypting the files a lot easier,” Lavi said.
According to researchers, the ransomware includes data exfiltration functionality that uses three external Python scripts to send out HTTP post requests. It also includes additional functionality that many ransomware variants don’t normally have.
“For example, it looks for SSH keys that might allow the attacker to interactively logon into a victim’s device. It also looks for trusted certificates, which can allow the attacker to access sites without causing security warnings,” said Lavi.
Researchers also found evidence of key-logging functionality in parts of the code. These code segments call API functions aimed at finding low-level hardware events.
“We can find evidence that the ransomware is still being developed and is not yet in its final form. The decryption functionality, for example, is not completely implemented. Because the decryption routine is not called anywhere inside the code, victims will surely not be able to decrypt their files, even if they pay the ransom,” said Lavi.
Researchers also warned that an Iranian hacking group named “Foudre” had recently resurfaced. The group dates back to as early as 2007 and exfiltrated data from organizations and VIPs.
“The APT, which was mostly but not exclusively used against targets in Europe and North America, consists of several stages. The first stage includes the victim opening a crafted document that contains macro code, which self-extracts archives with “Foudre” components,” said Lavi.
Lavi added that the malware the hackers used leverages domain generating algorithms (DGA), a technique that generates and tries to communicate with many domain names, but only one of them is the real C2 server domain name. This allows the attacker to hide their identity and maintain the C2 server’s clean reputation longer.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovationITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job lossesNews With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
LockBit data dump reveals a treasure trove of intel on the notorious hacker groupNews An analysis of May's SQL database dump shows how much LockBit was really making
-
‘I take pleasure in thinking I can rid society of at least some of them’: A cyber vigilante is dumping information on notorious ransomware criminals – and security experts say police will be keeping close tabsNews An anonymous whistleblower has released large amounts of data allegedly linked to the ransomware gangs
-
It's been a bad week for ransomware operatorsNews A host of ransomware strains have been neutralized, servers seized, and key players indicted
-
Everything we know about the Peter Green Chilled cyber attackNews A ransomware attack on the chilled food distributor highlights the supply chain risks within the retail sector
-
Scattered Spider: Who are the alleged hackers behind the M&S cyber attack?News The Scattered Spider group has been highly active in recent years
-
Ransomware attacks are rising — but quiet payouts could mean there's more than actually reported
News Ransomware attacks continue to climb, but they may be even higher than official figures show as companies choose to quietly pay to make such incidents go away.
-
Cleo attack victim list grows as Hertz confirms customer data stolen – and security experts say it won't be the lastNews Hertz has confirmed it suffered a data breach as a result of the Cleo zero-day vulnerability in late 2024, with the car rental giant warning that customer data was stolen.
-
‘Phishing kits are a force multiplier': Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25 – and experts warn it’s lowering the barrier of entry for amateur hackersNews Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
