M1 Macs face first recorded malware
It was only a matter of time. As the security specialist Patrick Wardle reports (fave.co/3shjodr), the first adware for M1 Macs has been recorded. The malware, based on the adware Pirri, was specially compiled for Apple’s ARM platform and makes unwanted ads display. The malware, first reported to the antivirus platform VirusTotal in December, was called GoSearch22 and was even signed with a developer certificate from Apple. (Apple has since withdrawn this certificate, so the malware would no longer be executable.) The fact that the first ARM malware is adware is not really surprising. Adware of this type often disguises itself as a browser extension that the user installs themselves; it then changes the browser settings and shows targeted adverts and sometimes also collects user data. Obviously a profitable business, the…
