Your mac's webcam can be controlled remotely in new malware
If you have tape or something covering the camera on your mac, you might not be as paranoid as one thought after all. As there is a newly identified malware program that can remotely access your webcam, as well as completely controlling your computer.
The malware involved is the Backdoor.MAC.Eleanor program, which was identified by Bitdefender researchers. The malware sneaks onto the computer by having a cover identity of a file converter called Easy Doc Converter.app. Once someone downloaded the malware-invested program, it will automatically download another script, giving hackers the tools and options to control and access your Mac remotely. Some examples could be accessing the camera remotely, as mentioned earlier as well as control over your file manager, and the ability to execute commands. Interestingly, they can even send emails with attachments fro your computer.
Tiberius Anxinte, who is the lead tech at Bitdefender's AntiMalware lab said that “This type of malware is particularly dangerous as it’s hard to detect and offers the attacker full control of the compromised system,” he later went on to say that “For instance, someone can lock you out of your laptop, threaten to blackmail you to restore your private files or transform your laptop into a botnet to attack other devices. The possibilities are endless.”
Thankfully, there is a easy fix to prevent this from happening again. Just simply go to your Mac's settings, go to Security and Privacy, and then set it so your computer can only download apps fro the Mac App Store and other identified developers. The setting is enabled by default, but it is always good to double check.
Via: | TechoBuffalo |
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Source: | Bitdefender Labs |
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Image Credit: | osxdaily |
