Apple customers were targeted by hackers over the weekend in the first campaign against Mac computers using ransomware, researchers with Palo Alto Networks have revealed.
Ransomware encrypts data on infected machines, then typically asks users to pay ransoms in hard-to-trace digital currencies to get an electronic key so they can retrieve their data.
Security experts estimate that ransoms total hundreds of millions of dollars a year from such cyber criminals, who typically target users of Microsoft's Windows operating system.
Jun 13, 2014 Game 184: January 5, 2018 – Announcement of Initials Major. They will happen about 4 times a year. They will have 3 Rounds 10 Items, take place at live audience, and a rube will be drawn to play all three rounds. There will be trophies and a green jacket. Game 242: February 8, 2019 - First game with new voting rules for listeners. Single-letter monograms, traditionally, represent the last name for both men and unmarried women. Rules for creating monograms for children are the same as those for unmarried adults. Shown here with a single initial that can be either the first or last name initial. Example: Anne Easten or Evelyn Davies. It’s 2020, modern or traditional, you. The official rules for the Codename board game. If you've lost your original rule set, you've come to the right place. Starting in 2018, the PowerTrip began holding Initials Game Majors multiple times per year. The Majors take place at a live appearance of the show. The primary differences between the regular Initials Game and a Major are: A rube is picked at random to participate in the Major. 
Palo Alto threat intelligence director Ryan Olson said the 'KeRanger' malware, which appeared on Friday, was the first functioning ransomware attacking Apple's Mac computers.
Learn about KeRanger, the first true Mac ransomware. Not ones to be left out of the ransomware game, Mac malware authors dropped the first ransomware for Mac OSes in 2016. Called KeRanger, the ransomware infected an app called Transmission that, when launched, copied malicious files that remained running quietly in the background for three. AIDS Trojan the first ransomware. Little did he know that the AIDS Trojan, also known as PC Cyborg, was wreaking havoc all over the world. It is believed that 20,000 computer enthusiasts, medical.
'This is the first one in the wild that is definitely functional, encrypts your files and seeks a ransom,' Olson said.
An Apple representative said the company had taken steps over the weekend to prevent attacks by revoking a digital certificate from a legitimate Apple developer that enabled the rogue software to install on Macs.
Updates!teach to be happy. The malware is programmed to encrypt files on an infected personal computer three days after the original infection, according to Olson.
That means that if Apple's steps prove ineffective in neutralising malware that has already infected Macs, the earliest victims will have their files encrypted on Monday, three days after the malicious program first appeared on the Transmission website, he said.
The Transmission site offers the open source software that was infected with the ransomware.
Palo Alto has released advice for Mac users on ways to check if they were infected with the virus and steps they can take to protect against it harming their data, Olson said.
Transmission is one of the most popular Mac applications used to download software, videos, music and other data through the BitTorrent peer-to-peer information sharing network, according to Olson.
Representatives with Transmission could not be reached immediately for comment.
The project's website on Sunday carried a warning saying that version 2.90 of its Mac software had been infected with malware.
It advised users to immediately upgrade to version 2.91 of the software, which was available on its website, or delete the malicious one.
It also provided technical information on how users could check to see if they were affected.
Though ransomware has been a brutal reality for smartphones and Windows PCs for a while, no Mac user ever had to worry about being affected until now. Researchers of Palo Alto Networks Inc told Reuters this Sunday that over the weekend the hackers attacked Mac users by this detrimental type of software named “KeRanger.”
Techmeme: First Known Ransomware For Mac Download
If you are unaware of what ransomware is, it’s the fastest-growing nefarious software that encrypts data of your machine and demands a ransom to let you retrieve your data. In this case, the KeRanger demands a ransom of 1 bitcoin, or about $400.
According to Ryan Olson, Palo Alto Threat Intelligence Director KeRanger was the first functioning ransomware that attacked Apple’s Mac computers. In a telephone interview, he said, “This is the first one in the wild that is definitely functional, encrypts your files and seeks a ransom.”
Faster editing, new features, and more themes!. Macs were infected through a corrupted copy of a popular program called Transmission that is used to transmit data through the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing network. It happened when the users downloaded the 2.90 version of transmission, which was released on Friday.
The KeRanger is programmed in a way that it would be quiet for three days after infecting a computer. Just after three days, it would connect to the attacker’s server and start encrypting all the files on that PC so users couldn’t access their data. Then it would demand ransom from the user to decrypt the data. So, those who have installed Transmission version 2.90 could start losing access to their data on Monday.
Techmeme: First Known Ransomware For Mac Osx
However, if you are one of them, no need to worry. An Apple representative said that they had already taken steps to prevent further infection by opposing a digital certificate that could disable the knave software to install on Macs. It already released a new version (2.92) of Transmission on Sunday and users are strictly recommended to install the update immediately.