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Final week, Jamf Risk Labs revealed analysis on yet one more variant of the more and more in style MacSync Stealer household calling consideration to a rising downside in macOS safety: malware that’s sneaking round Apple’s most important third celebration app protections. This new variant was distributed inside a malicious app that was each code-signed with a legitimate Developer ID and notarized by Apple, which means Gatekeeper had no motive to dam it from launching.
Traditionally, Apple’s mannequin has labored fairly nicely. Apps distributed outdoors the Mac App Retailer have to be cryptographically signed and notarized to open with out having customers bounce via numerous hoops. However that belief mannequin assumes that signing proves good intent. What we’re seeing now’s that attackers are acquiring actual developer certificates and transport malware that appears indistinguishable from legit software program on the time of set up.
After talking with a number of individuals conversant in the matter, there are just a few methods menace actors are going about attaining this. In lots of instances, they’re utilizing a mixture of the next:
Signed and notarized malicious apps might be working with Developer ID certificates which are compromised and even bought through underground channels, which considerably lowers suspicion. As we noticed in Jamf’s report on a new MacSync Stealer variant, the preliminary binary is usually a comparatively easy Swift-based executable that seems benign throughout Apple’s static evaluation and does little by itself.
The actual malicious conduct occurs later, when the app reaches out to distant infrastructure to fetch extra payloads. If these payloads aren’t out there throughout notarization and solely activate beneath real-world runtime circumstances, Apple’s scanners don’t have anything malicious to research. The notarization course of evaluates what exists at submission time, not what an app might retrieve after launch, and attackers are clearly designing round that boundary.
The primary occasion of Apple-notarized malware dates again to not less than 2020, found by a Twitter person. Earlier this July, there was one other occasion of an analogous malicious software that was signed and notarized by Apple. Now, has this reached the boiling level? Most likely not. On one hand, I agree that even one occasion of this taking place is one too many.
Alternatively, I believe it’s too simple to place the blame on Apple right here. The system is essentially working as designed. Code signing and notarization had been by no means meant to ensure that software program is benign without end, solely that it may be traced again to an actual developer and revoked when abuse is found.
That is an intriguing assault vector and one I’ll proceed to trace going into 2026.
On the finish of the day, the very best protection in opposition to malware is to obtain software program instantly from builders you belief or from the Mac App Retailer.
Safety Chew is 9to5Mac’s weekly deep dive into the world of Apple safety. Every week, Arin Waichulis unpacks new threats, privateness issues, vulnerabilities, and extra, shaping an ecosystem of over 2 billion units.
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