Experts have named the most ”popular” virus on Apple computers (Topic)

Experts have named the most widespread virus that has infected almost every tenth Apple computer worldwide. The malware is called Shlayer and accounted for nearly 30% of all attacks on macOS devices in 2019. For almost two years now, the Trojan has been the most widespread threat to Apple gadgets - such data was provided by Kaspersky Lab specialists.

Where the virus lives

In most cases, experts say, the virus disguises itself as the next update of the Adobe Flash Player. In addition, macOS often catches unwanted software on sites that run ad partnerships. As part of such a program, while downloading data, anything, including an adware Trojan, can get onto the device by default. In addition to sites with "affiliate programs", unwanted software of this type is distributed on popular platforms with a multimillion audience, entertainment portals and other legitimate online resources. the number of annotation links to articles in Wikipedia.

How it works

After accidentally clicking on a malicious link, one of the Shlayer versions gets on a mac computer, and then brings “friends” with it, who flood the device with various advertisements. According to experts, Trojans of the Shlayer family are able to download and install adware applications on their own. In addition, they can replace search results by adding advertising links to it.

For the first time, the Shlayer virus made itself known at the beginning of 2018 - it was then that cybersecurity experts identified the first representatives of malware. To date, experts have identified about 32,000 samples of the unwanted program. From the moment of the first detection to the present day, the algorithm of its action remains practically unchanged, the activity of the virus and the number of devices infected by it remain at the same level.

Adware, although it managed to gain popularity due to its massive distribution, is technically a fairly average version of virus software. The only example that stands out in the entire Shlayer family is the Trojan version of the program, which was one of the last to appear. Its algorithms differ from other viruses, since the programming language in which this version is written differs from its malicious "brothers".

Today, the main task of all viruses of the Shlayer family is the intrusive display of advertisements, but experts do not exclude that malware authors may add other functions to it. To protect your Apple computer from the intrusion of unnecessary programs, experts advise not to click on dubious links, do not install applications from unverified sources, and pay attention to reviews about platforms where you can download various content.

The Topic of Article: Experts have named the most ”popular” virus on Apple computers.
Author: Jake Pinkman