Microsoft has identified a new and more advanced variant of the XCSSET macOS malware, which is actively being used in targeted attacks.
🚨 Key Highlights of the New Variant:
✅ Enhanced obfuscation techniques to evade detection.
✅ Updated persistence mechanisms for long-term infection.
✅ New infection strategies that expand its attack capabilities.
"This is the first known XCSSET variant since 2022, now featuring improved obfuscation methods, enhanced persistence techniques, and new infection strategies," the Microsoft Threat Intelligence team revealed in a post on X.
The malware remains a major threat, retaining its previous ability to:
🔹 Target digital wallets and steal sensitive data.
🔹 Extract system files and exfiltrate user information.
🔹 Harvest data from Apple Notes and other applications.
What is XCSSET Malware?
Originally discovered by Trend Micro in August 2020, XCSSET is a highly modular macOS malware designed to infect Apple Xcode projects. Over the years, it has evolved to bypass security measures and adapt to Apple's latest hardware and software.
🔎 Notable XCSSET Capabilities Over Time:
✔️ 2021: Exfiltrated data from Google Chrome, Telegram, Evernote, Opera, Skype, WeChat, and Apple apps like Contacts and Notes.
✔️ 2021: Exploited CVE-2021-30713, a TCC framework bypass zero-day, to secretly take desktop screenshots.
✔️ 2022: Upgraded to support macOS Monterey and Apple's M1 chipsets.
Despite ongoing research, the exact origins of XCSSET remain unknown.
How the New XCSSET Variant Evades Detection
The latest version of XCSSET, as reported by Microsoft, marks a major evolution since 2022.
🔐 New Evasion Techniques:
🔸 Improved obfuscation to make analysis and detection harder.
🔸 Advanced persistence methods to ensure the malware is executed with every new shell session.
🔸 Manipulation of macOS Dock settings using a signed dockutil utility from a command-and-control server.
🚨 One particularly deceptive tactic:
The malware creates a fake Launchpad application and replaces the legitimate Launchpad’s path entry in the Dock.
🛑 Result? Every time a user opens Launchpad, both the real app and the malicious payload execute simultaneously.
Conclusion
The discovery of this new XCSSET macOS malware variant underscores the growing sophistication of macOS threats. Users and developers must remain vigilant, ensuring they:
✔️ Regularly update macOS and security patches.
✔️ Avoid downloading unverified Xcode projects.
✔️ Monitor for suspicious activity in system files and applications.
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