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Malware found spreading through sponsored ad on X
9to5Mac • • technology
Key Points:
- Jamf Threat Labs discovered a ClickFix-style malware attack running as a sponsored ad on social media site X, impersonating the legitimate Mac app DynamicLake but redirecting users to a malicious domain that installs malware via Terminal commands.
- The malicious payload identified was a variant of Atomic Stealer known as MacSync, with some instances involving DigitStealer, both designed to steal sensitive data from infected Macs.
- The ad originated from a verified X account with a large following, whose owner unknowingly approved the malicious promotion, highlighting how trust and verification can be exploited in social engineering attacks.
- Despite X’s ad approval process, the malicious ad slipped through automated scans and was promoted to users, raising concerns about the platform’s ability to effectively block harmful ads, similar to past issues seen with Google Ads.
- The legitimate DynamicLake developer expressed ongoing efforts to combat fake clones and urged users to download only from the official site, while X removed the reported ad promptly following Jamf’s notification.
