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by John W. Simek, Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.

Apple Users are Targeted in First Known Mac OS X Ransomware Attack

March 7, 2016

So much for Apple users thinking that they are immune to viruses, Trojans, malware and other infections. Ransomware has finally moved over to the Apple world and is attacking Mac OS X users. Technically, it is not the first Mac ransomware, but is the first fully functional campaign. The first Apple ransomware was called FileCoder and discovered in 2014, but the code was incomplete. The latest Apple ransomware is called KeRanger and is delivered via a BitTorrent client for Macs. Just like the Windows variants, KeRanger uses AES encryption to encrypt over 300 file extension types and demands 1 bitcoin (approximately $400) to get the decryption key.

Another reason to make sure that your data is securely backed up and impervious to ransomware.

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