Malwarebytes finds Malware Threat on Crypto Ticker App

By Chetna Phour

According to the security firm Malwarebytes, a Crypto Ticker application, Coin Ticker is installing two backdoors on Apple Macs.

Malwarebytes is anti-malware software for Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS which finds and remove malware. It is also available in a free version which scans for the malware and removes them when started manually. The paid version of Malwarebytes provides scheduled scans, flash memory scanner, and real-time protection.

Recently, Malwarebytes warned that the Crypto Tricker app downloads and install two different pieces of malware EggShell and EvilOSX. Both of these pieces of malware are backdoor applications which can be used to log keystrokes, execute certain commands, and steal data. Thomas Reed, the Malwarebytes’ director of Mac and Mobile, said that it is possible that the malware is designed to steal the crypto keys. Thomas stated that:

“It seems likely that the malware is meant to gain access to users’ cryptocurrency wallets for the purpose of stealing coins.”

Though it is still unclear that what the creators of Crypto Tracker application want but Thomas believes that the malware is distributed through a crypto app which supports this theory.

Coin Ticker acts as a legitimate crypto application which is designed to show the price of a selected cryptocurrency on request. The users who want to install the app can choose between Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), ZCash, Monero, and other cryptocurrencies. At the time of installation, the users also get the pieces of EggShell and EvilOSX malware in the background. These malware can steal the cryptocurrency keys of the users. The app even does not require any permission or root which means the users are not able to see any sign of infection.

Malwarebytes is trusted by more than 60,000 businesses as a cybersecurity solution which offers comprehensive endpoint protection, detection, and remediation for the malware. It is known for blocking malware and hackers where traditional antivirus does not work. According to Malwarebytes traditional antivirus fails because they are slow to react to new threats. Malwarebytes uses layers of technology such as anomaly detection (kind of artificial intelligence), behaviour matching, and application hardening to crush malware that has not been seen before.