Traditionally, Mac machines are considered more secured than PCs. However, the attack of the devious Shlayer malware proves that even Mac OS are vulnerable to malware attacks.

Shlayer Malware first surfaced to lime-light as a nasty menace to Apple Macs in the February 2018. The cyber-security analysts were able to collect over 32,000 distinct samples of Shlayer Mac Trojan from around 143 malicious Command & Control server domains.

Since then it has become one of the most common & wide-spread threats on the Mac OS platform. In 2019, Shlayer is known to have infected one out of every 10 Mac Devices.  The residents of countries such as France, Germany, the United States & the United Kingdom are known to be prime target of Shlayer Malware.

Read on to know more about this nasty threat.

What is Shlayer?

Shlayer is a Trojan that primarily targets Mac OS devices. It has been designed to distribute myriad of adware, Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUPs) & promote malware-laden fake search engines.

Torrent sites, disturbing advertisements & unreliable fraudulent downloads are the main techniques used by Shlayer Malware to proliferate.

This bogus application swindles Mac Users by disguising as Adobe Flash Player Installer or a free software cracking tool. Thus, developers of Shlayer Malware are able to distribute it successfully at an alarming rate.

Shlayer Malware | A Simple Mac Trojan that Hit Millions

Last week, the cyber-security organization, Kaspersky rolled out a list of 10 most popular threats of Mac OS platform. And guess what? Shlayer Mac Trojan topped the list! It managed to infect more than 1 Mac in every

You may think such popularity comes with prodigious sophistication. However, please note that Shlayer is an ordinary malware.

It uses some of the oldest tricks to swindle innocent users. It entices the users to click on its malicious link. When clicked, it pushes a fake Adobe Flash Player update that hides its malicious code. Thus, it makes way into the Mac & installs various adware variants on it.

After successful installation, Shlayer Malware displays intrusive advertisements on the victim’s computer & makes web-browsing infuriating. These pop-up ads & advertisements help the cyber-criminals to generate a significant illicit amount in a short span of time.

This malware can greatly deteriorate the performance of your Mac machine & make it extremely sluggish.

Ways to prevent Shlayer Malware Attacks

1. Keeping the Operating System Updated- In order to remain protected and avoid such infections, it is recommended to keep your Operating System updated by enabling the automatic update on your system. The systems with outdated or older versions of Operating System become an easy target for the attackers.
2. Resist clicking on spam emails – One of the major techniques used for malware distribution is forwarding spam emails to the user. The system gets infected as soon as the user clicks on the attachment. These mails appear to be genuine, so be aware and resist falling for these tricks.
3. Keep an eye on third party installations- It is quite important that you take due care while installing any third party applications for they are major source of such infections. Such malware programs come bundled with the free applications thereby requiring the user to remain cautious.
4. Regular periodical backup- In order to keep your data and files safe, it is recommended to take regular back up of all your data and files either on an external drive or cloud.
5. Use Anti-Virus Protection- We strongly recommend the use of antivirus protection/internet security in your PC like Vipre and BULL GUARD  so that it remains safe.
6. Enable the Ad Blocker/Popup Blocker in your browser- Enabling the popup blocker/ ad blocker in your chosen browser will help you to stay protected from annoying adware.

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