What is Longage.A? What does it mean to see the detection Longage.A Backdoor? How to remove Longage.A completely from your Mac?
Longage.A is the detection name of a Trojan horse that affects Mac devices. Analyses of its features reveal that it is a highly sophisticated and persistent threat. Since it has the ability to execute remote commands, download files and transfer data, it could allow threat actors to access and fully control your computer. Furthermore, Longage.A could help them steal your sensitive information. In the event that you see Longage.A detection on your Mac, we recommend you to keep up with our removal guide.
Threat Summary
| Name | Longage.A |
| Type | Backdoor Trojan for MacOS |
| Short Description | Aims to slither on your Mac undetected and perform series of malcious activities. |
| Symptoms | The malware aims to remain undetected, so no evident symptoms may be registered. |
| Distribution Method | Malware, Malspam, Compromised websites |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Combo Cleaner Malware Removal Tool | User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Longage.A. |
Longage.A Backdoor Trojan – What is It All About?
Longage.A is the detection name given to a Trojan horse that affects Mac OS. Analyses of its samples reveal that it is designed to act like backdoor Trojan. It could also be used for the collection of private information. Infection with this Trojan could allow unauthorized access and control to your Mac device. Furthermore, attackers could misuse it for data theft and additional system compromises.
As reported, the spread of this backdoor could be realized with the help of other malware. So in the event that you have detected the presence of Longage.A Trojan on your Mac, you should definitely ensure that no additional malware is running on it. Compromised websites were also detected to drop the Trojan on target devices. Whenever, one of these pages loads in a target browser, it drops the nasty malware on the device and triggers its execution.
As soon as Longage.A is launched on your Mac, it accesses the following directory to drop copies of itself:
- /Library/launched
Then it enters the LaunchAgents folder to install a property list file called Launchd. By doing this, the Trojan becomes able to run automatically whenever you log in the system.
After these two initial attack stages, Longage connects to an IP address that is indicated in its code to remotely receive certain commands from malicious actors. The moment this event occurs, the security of your security and information stored on it are put at greater risk. On one hand, the attackers could obtain details like:
- Operating system version
- Physical RAM size
- Logon name of the current user
Based on these details, they could attempt to deliver additional malware.
Furthermore, as long as the connection remains uninterrupted, they could perform all of the actions mentioned below:
- Gather information about your computer
- Send a list of currently-running processes
- Kill processes
- Run or delete files
- Receive files from, or send files to, a remote server
- Uninstall Longage.A Backdoor
- Send an Apple event to initiate your computer to sleep, restart, shut down and log out
- Open a bash shell command prompt
Some of the most popular detections names related to Longage.A Trojan infection that are used by trusted antivirus vendors are:
→Backdoor.MacOSX.Longage.A
Backdoor:MacOS/Longage.A
Backdoor.OSX.Longage.A
OSX_LONGAGE.A
MacOS/Longage.A
Recently our team has found and reported other two detection names related to Longage.A backdoor Trojan –
Beware that Longage.A is a highly complicated threat that could hardly be detected. Since it could have some hidden components on your Mac, we recommend you to use the help of advanced security tools for its complete removal.
Remove Longage.A Backdoor Trojan from Your Mac
In order to remove Longage.A Trojan along with all associated files that enable it to perform various malicious activities, you should complete several removal steps. In the guide below you will find all removal steps in their precise order. You could choose between manual and automatic removal approach. In order to fully get rid of this nasty malware and strengthen the security of your device we recommend you to combine the steps.
In case you have further questions or need additional help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us via email.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has a bachelor's degree in Marketing. She has been with the STF team for five years, researching malware, reporting on the latest computer infections, and following digital marketing trends.
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Preparation Phase:
Before starting to follow the steps below, be advised that you should first do the following preparations:
- Backup your files in case the worst happens.
- Make sure to have a device with these instructions on standy.
- Arm yourself with patience.
Step 1: Uninstall Longage.A and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Longage.A via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Remove Longage.A – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
Remove an extension from Safari and reset it.
Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
Step 3: Scan for and remove Longage.A files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Longage.A, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
