#1 Trusted Cybersecurity News Platform
Followed by 5.20+ million
The Hacker News Logo
Subscribe – Get Latest News
Cloud Security

FruitFly malware | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Category — FruitFly malware
macOS Malware Creator Charged With Spying on Thousands of PCs Over 13 Years

macOS Malware Creator Charged With Spying on Thousands of PCs Over 13 Years

Jan 11, 2018
The U.S. Justice Department unsealed 16-count indictment charges on Wednesday against a computer programmer from Ohio who is accused of creating and installing spyware on thousands of computers for more than 13 years. According to the indictment, 28-year-old Phillip R. Durachinsky is the alleged author of FruitFly malware that was found targeting Apple Mac users earlier last year worldwide, primarily in the United States. Interestingly, Durachinsky was just 14 years old when he programmed the first version of the FruitFly malware, and this full-fledged backdoor trojan went largely undetected for several years, despite using unsophisticated and antiquated code. The malware was initially discovered in January 2017 by Malwarebytes and then Patrick Wardle, an ex-NSA hacker, found around 400 Mac computers infected with the newer strain of FruitFly. However, Wardle believed the number of infected Macs would likely be much higher. The malware is capable of advanced surveillance...
Apple Users, Beware! A Nearly-Undetectable Malware Targeting Mac Computers

Apple Users, Beware! A Nearly-Undetectable Malware Targeting Mac Computers

Jul 25, 2017
Yes, even Mac could also get viruses that could silently spy on its users. So, if you own a Mac and think you are immune to malware, you are wrong. An unusual piece of malware that can remotely take control of webcams, screen, mouse, keyboards, and install additional malicious software has been infecting hundreds of Mac computers for more than five years—and it was detected just a few months back. Dubbed FruitFly , the Mac malware was initially detected earlier this year by Malwarebytes researcher Thomas Reed, and Apple quickly released security patches to address the dangerous malware. Now months later, Patrick Wardle, an ex-NSA hacker and now chief security researcher at security firm Synack, discovered around 400 Mac computers infected with the newer strain of the FruitFly malware (FruitFly 2) in the wild. Wardle believes the number of infected Macs with FruitFly 2 would likely be much higher, as he only had access to some servers used to control FruitFly. Although it i...
cyber security

10 Steps to Microsoft 365 Cyber Resilience

websiteVeeamCyber Resilience / Data Security
75% of organizations get hit by cyberattacks, and most report getting hit more than once. Read this ebook to learn 10 steps to take to build a more proactive approach to securing your organization's Microsoft 365 data from cyberattacks and ensuring cyber resilience.
Newly Discovered Mac Malware with Ancient Code Spying on Biotech Firms

Newly Discovered Mac Malware with Ancient Code Spying on Biotech Firms

Jan 19, 2017
Security researchers have discovered a rare piece of Mac-based espionage malware that relies on outdated coding practices but has been used in some previous real-world attacks to spy on biomedical research center computers. Dubbed Fruitfly , the malware has remained undetected for years on macOS systems despite using unsophisticated and "antiquated code." Infosec firm Malwarebytes discovered Fruitfly, detected as 'OSX.Backdoor.Quimitchin,' after one of its IT administrators spotted some unusual outgoing activity from a particular Mac computer. According to the researchers, the recently discovered what they're calling "the first Mac malware of 2017" contains code that dates before OS X, which has reportedly been conducting detailed surveillance operation on targeted networks, possibly for over two years. Fruitfly uses a hidden pearl script to communicate back to two command-and-control (C&C) servers and has the ability to perform actions l...
cyber security

The Ultimate Guide to SaaS Identity Security in 2025

websiteWing SecuritySaaS Security / Identity Threat Detection
Discover how to protect your SaaS apps from identity-based breaches with this expert 2025 guide—learn practical steps to secure every account and keep your data safe.
Expert Insights / Articles Videos
Cybersecurity Resources