Mac OSX malware bypasses Gatekeeper, gets in backdoor

Published April 5, 2013 6:41pm

Mac users may not be as prone to malware attacks as their counterparts using Windows machines, but they should start looking out for this new nasty piece of malware.

Security vendor Bitdefender said the new malware, which it dubbed Mac.OSX.Backdoor.Pintsized.A, exploits a vulnerability to bypass Mac OS X's anti-malware mechanism "Gatekeeper."

"To circumvent ("Gatekeeper"), the creators of Mac.OSX.Backdoor.Pintsized.A relied on an undocumented exploit to trick Gatekeeper into running unsigned applications regardless of the security level enforced in Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper compromise is likely bundled with the Java exploit that also delivers the backdoor," Bitdefender said in a blog post.

Once the malware gets past "Gatekeeper," Pintsized.A would open wait for further instructions, which may come via an encrypted commands.

Apple introduced "Gatekeeper" as a built-in anti-malware protection mechanism in Mountain Lion, the latest flavor of OS X.

"Gatekeeper" by default allows only applications that come from Apple's App Store or those digitally signed by a developer. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: apple, applemacintosh, appleosx, malware