Kaspersky Lab's researchers have discovered another advanced persistent threat (APT) that targets Apple computers.
Similar to the recently discovered Flashfake Trojan, Backdoor.OSX.SabPub lets criminals take control of a computer more easily.
Earlier this month, Kaspersky revealed that the Flashfake Trojan created a botnet that affected more than 700 000 Mac computers. Similar to Flashfake, SabPub uses certain vulnerabilities in Java virtual machine.
According to the security giant, the number of users infected with this malware is still relatively low, which suggests SabPub is used in targeted attacks.
Alexander Gostev, Kaspersky Lab chief security expert, says SabPub Backdoor means that not a single software environment is immune to cyber attacks.
He indicates that while the numbers of malware attacks have been of a relatively low volume for Mac OS X in comparison to Windows, this does not mean it offers better protection.
“The most recent incidents like Flashfake and SabPub indicate that the personal data of unprotected Mac users is also at risk, either because cyber criminals understand the rising market share of such machines, or because they are hired for the direct task of attacking Apple computers,” adds Gostev.
Apple last week released a Java security update, which promised to remove common variants of the Flashback virus. The security community had previously criticised Apple for its sluggish response to the security flaw in the Java Web platform, which was exploited by the virus.
Prior to SabPub, Flashfake was said to be the most sophisticated and advanced attack on Mac computers, according to security experts.
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