Apple spares nothing when it comes to its device's security. The latest iOS 14 privacy and security changes have been very criticized by Facebook as well. Apple keeps all the walls closed when it comes to making the iPhone, Macs, and other products secure and malware-free. Last year, Apple stepped up its game and introduced "Notarization" for Mac where Apple tests the apps for malicious content and security issues before it is published. However, it looks like the company slipped one in by accident.
Malware Disguised as Adobe Flash Mistakenly Approved by Apple to Run on Millions of Macs
Peter Dantini, a security researcher came across a malware that was resting under the Adobe Flash Installer name. The malware basically intercepts encrypted web traffic and replaces webpages and results with its own ads. This makes fraudulent money from ads for operators. Such malware runs unnotarized code and such types of malware are pretty common. The Gatekeeper feature on Mac will block the malware from further proceeding as it detects unnotarized code. Here's what Apple's spokesperson told TechCrunch:
“Malicious software constantly changes, and Apple’s notarization system helps us keep malware off the Mac and allow us to respond quickly when it’s discovered. Upon learning of this adware, we revoked the identified variant, disabled the developer account, and revoked the associated certificates. We thank the researchers for their assistance in keeping our users safe,”
Datini who works with Patrick Wardle discovered that the malware was able to run on Macs. The reason it was able to work on Macs is that Apple itself notarized the code (accidentally of course). Wardle says that Apple did not check and filter the code to check for malware and approved it to run on millions of Macs across the globe. The malware is cable of running on Apple's yet to be released macOS Big Sur as well. After the issue was spotted, the company revoked the notarized code, which prevented the malware-filled app to run on Macs.
It goes on to show that Apple's system of making its products secure is not foolproof. The hackers, however, have come up with a new code which allows the app to run on Macs, We will share more details on the scene as soon as we have an update.
News Source: TechCrunch
