Monday, February 10, 2025
HomemacOSHackers Install macOS Malware Using Weaponised Calendar Invites

Hackers Install macOS Malware Using Weaponised Calendar Invites

Published on

SIEM as a Service

Follow Us on Google News

Hackers use weaponized calendar invites to exploit vulnerabilities in email systems, tricking users into clicking on malicious links or downloading malware disguised as event attachments. 

By leveraging trust in calendar invitations, threat actors increase the likelihood of successful phishing attacks and unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Cybersecurity researchers at Malwarebytes recently discovered that hackers are actively exploiting the weaponized calendar invites to install macOS malware.

macOS Malware Calendar Invites

Mac users seeking cryptocurrency opportunities are targeted by cybercriminals using fake calendar invites.

Document
Integrate ANY.RUN in your company for Effective Malware Analysis

Are you from SOC and DFIR teams? – Join With 400,000 independent Researchers

Malware analysis can be fast and simple. Just let us show you the way to:

  • Interact with malware safely
  • Set up virtual machine in Linux and all Windows OS versions
  • Work in a team
  • Get detailed reports with maximum data
  • If you want to test all these features now with completely free access to the sandbox: ..


Links sent during attacks install malware on the target’s machine. 

Brian Krebs flagged the issue, and asserted that scammers pose as cryptocurrency investors, and lure people into fake partnership meetings on Telegram.

Luring message (Source – MalwareBytes)

Signum Capital issued a warning about impersonation attempts on Twitter in January.

Threat actors contact the targets via Telegram DMs in which they lure their targets by offering opportunities for calls or meetings.

Interested targets receive fake meeting invitations. 

When victims attempt to join, the link fails. Scammers blame regional access restrictions and advise running a script to fix it. 

Malwarebytes’ Thomas Reed confirmed threat actors’ use of scripts to compromise users isn’t new.

AppleScripts come in .scpt files, but victims need to open in Script Editor and may spot the code.

AppleScript applets act like normal apps, enhancing trustworthiness with code signing and icons. 

Script Editor (Source – MalwareBytes)

Due to this obfuscating the code is possible which makes it less likely for Apple’s notarization process to detect potential threats.

When a user enters their password, the script doesn’t see it but gains root access. Actions run with administrator privileges without additional authentication. 

The script can easily trick users into granting root permissions through a standard authentication request dialog.

AppleScript excels at malware crafting. Certain malicious programs like OSX.DubRobber, OSX.OSAMiner utilized AppleScript solely or near-solely.

A basic Apple Script, in this case, downloaded and ran a macOS Trojan whose purpose is unknown.

If it’s revealed as a cryptocurrency-stealing banking Trojan, then it wouldn’t be surprising.

How To Recognize The Scam?

Here below we have mentioned all the key tactics used by the threat actors, and these tactics will help in recognizing the scam:-

  • DM approach on Telegram
  • Crypto investment lure
  • Calendly platform preferred
  • Fake “regional restriction” urgency
  • Script with .scpt extension
  • Hosted on a fake meeting support site

You can block malware, including Trojans, ransomware, spyware, rootkits, worms, and zero-day exploits, with Perimeter81 malware protection. All are incredibly harmful, can wreak havoc, and damage your network.

Stay updated on Cybersecurity news, Whitepapers, and Infographics. Follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter

Tushar Subhra
Tushar Subhra
Tushar is a Cyber security content editor with a passion for creating captivating and informative content. With years of experience under his belt in Cyber Security, he is covering Cyber Security News, technology and other news.

Latest articles

SHA256 Hash Calculation from Data Chunks

The SHA256 algorithm, a cryptographic hash function, is widely used for securing data integrity...

New Report of of 1M+ Malware Samples Show Application Layer Abused for Stealthy C2

A recent analysis of over one million malware samples by Picus Security has revealed...

Seven-Year-Old Linux Kernel Bug Opens Door to Remote Code Execution

Researchers have uncovered a critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel, dating back seven years,...

Ransomware Payments Plunge 35% as More Victims Refuse to Pay

In a significant shift within the ransomware landscape, global ransom payments plummeted by 35%...

Supply Chain Attack Prevention

Free Webinar - Supply Chain Attack Prevention

Recent attacks like Polyfill[.]io show how compromised third-party components become backdoors for hackers. PCI DSS 4.0’s Requirement 6.4.3 mandates stricter browser script controls, while Requirement 12.8 focuses on securing third-party providers.

Join Vivekanand Gopalan (VP of Products – Indusface) and Phani Deepak Akella (VP of Marketing – Indusface) as they break down these compliance requirements and share strategies to protect your applications from supply chain attacks.

Discussion points

Meeting PCI DSS 4.0 mandates.
Blocking malicious components and unauthorized JavaScript execution.
PIdentifying attack surfaces from third-party dependencies.
Preventing man-in-the-browser attacks with proactive monitoring.

More like this

New Report of of 1M+ Malware Samples Show Application Layer Abused for Stealthy C2

A recent analysis of over one million malware samples by Picus Security has revealed...

NanoCore RAT Attack Windows Using Task Scheduler to Captures keystrokes, screenshots

NanoCore, a notorious Remote Access Trojan (RAT), continues to pose a significant threat to...

Cybercriminals Target IIS Servers to Spread BadIIS Malware

A recent wave of cyberattacks has revealed the exploitation of Microsoft Internet Information Services...