14 DAY TRIAL // A newly emerged backdoor, which security firm Intego deems as pint-sized, recently targeted (and hacked computers at) Apple, Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft. Investigations have confirmed that the same Trojan was able to bypass Apple’s OS X Gatekeeper protection.
Intego reported in February that the threat “likely starts with an exploit to get it past Gatekeeper. Once on a system, it sets up a reverse shell,” according to the Austin, Texas-based firm.
The binary component of the malware then uses a modified version of existing tools to create a secure connection to encrypt the traffic so that it stays hidden. If checks are made, “it will appear as if the affected machine is simply printing from a networked printer,” Intego reports.
The malware also deletes its command histories, leaving no traces. Intego advised Mac users to download and use VirusBarrier with up-to-date virus definitions to detect and eradicate the backdoor known as “OSX/Pintsized.A.”
Confirming the Trojan’s ability to bypass Apple’s Gatekeeper mechanism, a source with knowledge of the attack told The Security Ledger that the malware specifically infected Macs at Twitter Inc.