Odd, I could have sworn Bitcoin was on the fast track towards technological irrelevance. So why is this new Mac malware harnessing infected GPUs to mine the digital dollars?
Dubbed DevilRobber, the OSX/Miner-D application is technically spyware but employs a combination of Trojan, backdoor, and sniffer elements. It’s spread over BitTorrent networks under the guise of innocuous applications. Once installed, it opens ports on the infected computer and steals personal information as well as turning you graphics processor towards its own nefarious purposes. The sneaky bastard will heist any Bitcoins you have on your system as well. Security experts warn that the most obvious symptom is drastically reduced system speed. Check for a updates to your virus definition lists as most most Mac AV vendors have reportedly patched for this vulnerability.
The emergence of this malware shouldn’t come as a surprise. Bitcoin-thieving virii for Windows have been around for nearly as long as Bitcoin itself. Between that and the police raids, Bitcoin’s quickly becoming more trouble than it’s worth. [PC Magazine]