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The victim is directed to open a ransom note in the form of a text file that has been placed on their desktop, which looks like the one below: Once the file encryption scheme ends, a popup is shown to the user, letting the victim know they’ve been infected and their files encrypted. Wardle, who published an in-depth technical analysis of EvilQuest earlier today, said the malware is pretty straightforward, as it moves to encrypt the user’s files as soon as it’s executed. However, Reed told us he believes the ransomware is most likely more broadly distributed, leveraging many more other apps, and not just these three.

Russian forum spreading pirated macOS app infected with OSX.EvilQuest
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Reed told ZDNet in a phone call today that Malwarebytes has found EvilQuest hidden inside pirated macOS software uploaded on torrent portals and online forums.ĭevadoos has spotted EvilQuest hidden in a software package called Google Software Update, Wardle has found samples of EvilQuest inside a pirated version of popular DJ software Mixed In Key, and Reed has spotted it hidden inside the macOS security tool called Little Snitch. However, new evidence surfaced in the meantime has revealed that EvilQuest has been, in reality, distributed in the wild since the start of June 2020. Reed and Stokes are currently looking for a weakness or bug in the ransomware’s encryption scheme that could be exploited to create a decryptor and help infected victims recover their files without paying the ransom.ĮVILQUEST IS DISTRIBUTED VIA PIRATED SOFTWAREī ut the researcher who first spotted the new EvilQuest ransomware is K7 Lab security researcher Dinesh Devadoss.ĭevadoss tweeted about his finding yesterday, June 29.
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Others who are also investigating EvilQuest include Thomas Reed, Director of Mac & Mobile at Malwarebytes, and Phil Stokes, macOS security researcher at SentinelOne. Wardle is currently one of the many macOS security researchers who are analyzing this new threat. This means that even if victims paid, the attacker would still have access to their computer and continue to steal files and keyboard strokes.
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“Armed with these capabilities, the attacker can main full control over an infected host,” said Patrick Wardle, Principal Security Researcher at Jamf. Named OSX.EvilQuest, this ransomware is different from previous macOS ransomware threats because besides encrypting the victim’s files, EvilQuest also installs a keylogger, a reverse shell, and steals cryptocurrency wallet-related files from infected hosts. Security researchers have discovered this week a new ransomware strain targeting macOS users.
