Report: Mac security threats on the rise, here’s what to watch out for

Malwarebytes has released its latest report digging into the state of malware to start 2024. The findings include which countries see the most ransomware attacks, the evolution of malware over the last year, how Mac threats are growing, which Mac threats to watch out for, and more.

Malwarebytes released its 29-page 2024 State of Malware report today. In its opening, the company says:

As we enter 2024, ransomware remains the most significant cyberthreat facing businesses. Awash with money, the ransomware ecosystem surged in 2023 and continued to evolve its tactics.

The number of known attacks increased 68%, average ransom demands climbed precipitously, and the largest ransom demand of the year was a staggering $80 million—requested by the LockBit gang following an attack on Royal Mail.

But beyond ransomware, Mac malware is on the rise and more. Here are the key findings from this year’s security report:

• Businesses need to prepare for cyber threats – not just malware
• Ransomware is now a zero-day threat
• Criminals are targeting Macs more than ever
• Threat actors are avoiding detection via ‘fly under the radar’ tactics
• Marcos are being replaced by malvertising
• A new threat prevention playbook is needed

Continuing what we’ve seen historically, the US remains the most targeted country when it comes to ransomware:

And the amount of ransomware attacks increased significantly in 2023, shooting up 68%:

The report goes on to cover developments in malvertising, zero-day ransomware, Living Off The Land (LOTL) cyberattack technique, and Android banking trojans, before getting into the state of malware on Macs.

State of Mac malware

In 2023, Mac malware adopted a number of tactics that reminded us there is no intrinsic “Apple magic” that stops the malicious tools and tactics that work on Windows machines from working just as well on Macs.

The report highlights the new MacStealer malware we saw across the year and the quick evolution of the threat. This is one of the important ones to watch out for in 2024.

Here’s our previous coverage if you missed it:

• MacStealer malware grabs iCloud passwords, files, and credit card details
• ‘Atomic macOS Stealer’ malware can compromise iCloud Keychain passwords, credit cards, crypto wallets
• Mac users hit by Atomic Stealer malware via malicious Google Search ads

Malware made up 11% of detections of threats/potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) on Macs and here is the total breakdown of Mac threats from 2023 per Malwarebytes:

For a look at all the findings, check out the 2024 State of Malware report. And if you want to check your Mac for malware, we’ve got a full guide on that:

• Mac: How to scan for malware and remove it with free and paid tools