What is Mac backdoor? What does it mean if you see such a detection on your Mac?
Backdoor Mac, Mac backdoor, Backdoor.Mac or a similar generic detection is most likely an indication of a Trojan infection on your Mac. A recent example of a backdoor detection is Longage.A Backdoor.
Backdoors targeting macOS may not be as frequently detected as potentially unwanted programs but they do appear in the wild. This article will give you details about Mac backdoor.
Threat Summary
| Name | Mac backdoor |
| Type | Backdoor Trojan for MacOS |
| Short Description | Aims to slither on your Mac undetected and perform series of malicious activities. |
| Symptoms | The backdoor aims to remain undetected, so no evident symptoms may be registered. |
| Distribution Method | Malicious spam, 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 Mac backdoor. |
Mac Backdoor – What Does It Mean?
Backdoors are Trojans. The bad news is that some Trojans are quite advanced and simple detection and quarantine may not be enough to stop them entirely. A Mac backdoor main goal is to enter your Mac stealthily to steal information, install more malware or spy on you.
What you should know is that after successful infiltration, backdoor Trojans aim to obtain remote control of targeted Mac machines. Then, backdoors may perform various malicious activities such as record users’ Internet browsing, steal banking details and passwords from keychains, install other malware, etc.
Once on your Mac, a backdoor could:
- Activate your camera or microphone;
- Log your keystrokes;
- Track you location via FindMyMac;
- Read your IP and MAC addresses;
- Copy files from your Mac;
- Delete files from your Mac;
- Steal AppleID passwords and IDs;
- Steal saved passwords on your browser;
- Download other viruses on your Mac without your knowledge;
- Update itself.
Let’s have a look at a recently detected Mac backdoor,
Based on data collected by malware researchers, it is known that the backdoor could help hackers to deliver additional malware. Furthermore, as long as the connection remains uninterrupted, hackers could perform some or all of the following actions:
- 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.
The worst part is that a backdoor may stay silent and undetected on your system for a long period of time, making it an infection difficult to spot and remove.
A Mac backdoor Trojan may also open the door to other infections on your Mac, or may be dropped together with other malware, such as the following:
Banking Trojans, which are designed to steal banking and financial information. These Trojans could inject a virtual layer over legitimate banking websites with the purpose to collect information entered by the user.
Downloader Trojans, which are designed to install more malware on affected systems.
DDoS Trojans, which apply a botnet on infected systems to be used to execute DDoS attacks.
Spyware, which is designed to stealthily infiltrate Macs to track and record keystrokes, websites visited, and can even take screenshots of the users’ activities. Collected data is typically sent to a command and control server.
PUPs and adware, which interfere with the victim’s online activities by displaying pop-up ads and fake error messages, and redirecting to suspicious sites.
Shortly said, a Mac backdoor Trojan detection may be an indication of other infections.
Mac Backdoor – How to Remove
In order to remove a backdoor Trojan from your Mac, 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 the malware and improve the security of your device, we recommend you an approach that combines both.
In case you have further questions or need additional help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us via email.
Milena Dimitrova
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum since the beginning. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles! Follow Milena @Milenyim
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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 Mac backdoor 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 Mac backdoor 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 Mac backdoor – 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 Mac backdoor files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Mac backdoor, 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.
