MacOS users\, beware of Bundlore Adware

Info-tech

MacOS users, beware of Bundlore Adware

K V Kurmanat Hyderabad | Updated on June 19, 2020 Published on June 19, 2020

MacOS, which is considered to be safe from cyber attacks, seems to be the target for ‘Bundlore Adware’.

SophosLabs, a cyber security solutions firm, has found that hackers are using bundleware to drop in multiple applications under the guise of installing a legitimate application.

It said the hackers are targeting MacOS Catalina users. It asked the users to exercise caution when downloading software from unknown sources and stay alert when an unfamiliar app tries to install browser extensions.

“This installer carries seven potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), including three that targeted the Safari web browser for the injection of ads, hijacking of download links, and redirecting search queries to generate income,” it said.

The PUAs are among the most common privacy and security threats to MacOS. They can steal personal data and act as a pathway for malvertising and other malware.

Bundlore is one of the most common ‘bundleware’ installers for the MacOS platform — it accounts for nearly 7 per cent of all attacks against the MacOS platform.

It is the second most common ‘badware’ threat affecting MacOS. Incidentally, Bundlore is also a common threat to Windows, primarily carrying extensions for Google Chrome.

“Adware developers are updating to adapt to the recent changes in MacOS and Safari. Besides they’re also dropping multiple PUA payloads with a single installer,” Sophos added.

Published on June 19, 2020

A letter from the Editor


Dear Readers,

The coronavirus crisis has changed the world completely in the last few months. All of us have been locked into our homes, economic activity has come to a near standstill. Everyone has been impacted.

Including your favourite business and financial newspaper. Our printing and distribution chains have been severely disrupted across the country, leaving readers without access to newspapers. Newspaper delivery agents have also been unable to service their customers because of multiple restrictions.

In these difficult times, we, at BusinessLine have been working continuously every day so that you are informed about all the developments – whether on the pandemic, on policy responses, or the impact on the world of business and finance. Our team has been working round the clock to keep track of developments so that you – the reader – gets accurate information and actionable insights so that you can protect your jobs, businesses, finances and investments.

We are trying our best to ensure the newspaper reaches your hands every day. We have also ensured that even if your paper is not delivered, you can access BusinessLine in the e-paper format – just as it appears in print. Our website and apps too, are updated every minute, so that you can access the information you want anywhere, anytime.

But all this comes at a heavy cost. As you are aware, the lockdowns have wiped out almost all our entire revenue stream. Sustaining our quality journalism has become extremely challenging. That we have managed so far is thanks to your support. I thank all our subscribers – print and digital – for your support.

I appeal to all or readers to help us navigate these challenging times and help sustain one of the truly independent and credible voices in the world of Indian journalism. Doing so is easy. You can help us enormously simply by subscribing to our digital or e-paper editions. We offer several affordable subscription plans for our website, which includes Portfolio, our investment advisory section that offers rich investment advice from our highly qualified, in-house Research Bureau, the only such team in the Indian newspaper industry.

A little help from you can make a huge difference to the cause of quality journalism!

Support Quality Journalism
Hackers launched spyware attack through Google Chrome extensions : Report