What Is Silver Sparrow Mac Virus
Silver Sparrow is the name of a dangerous threat that may appear on Mac computers, also known as a Trojan horse. This type of malware is a persistent threat that may be very difficult to remove and could cause a lot of trouble, once it has plagued your Mac. The main idea is that the Silver Sparrow Mac Trojan enters your Mac without you knowing it is there or by pretending to be a legitimate program, while in the same time spy on you and obtain your files and saved passwords.
This is the reason why we recommend reading the following article as it will help you remove Silver Sparrow Trojan completely from your Mac.
Silver Sparrow Summary
| Name | Silver Sparrow |
| Type | Trojan for Mac |
| Short Description | May steal different types of information from your Mac and could also damage it. |
| Symptoms | Your Mac may become slow and you may see it misbehaving from time to time. You may also notice suspicious processes running in the background. |
| Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
Download
Malware Removal Tool
|
User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Silver Sparrow. |
Silver Sparrow Mac Trojan – What Does It Do?
Silver Sparrow is a RAT (Remote Access Trojan). It is similar to many Trojans for Mac we have recently encountered, like CallMe, CinaRAT and Shlayer.
Silver Sparrow may be downloaded from a suspicious website, where it may pose as a patch, crack or any other software of this type. The main idea is that you believe it is a legitimate app and allow it on your Mac. Once this happens, the infection with this malware is inevitable.
But this is not the only way you may have gotten your Mac to be infected with Silver Sparrow. Other methods of infection also include receiving an e-mail from the hackers, that you must download the e-mail attachment immediately. Mostly such e-mails are spam and they pretend that the attachment is very important, like a flight ticket or a document from your bank. What happens is once you open these e-mails, you may immediately become a victim of this malware.
Just like any Trojan, the Silver Sparrow malware may use the same infection activities that may result in losing the information on your Mac, the information leaking or even worse – your Mac may become permanently damaged.
The primary risks that could be associated with Silver Sparrow Trojan are likely the following:
- It could teal saved passwords.
- It can obtain your files.
- It has the capability of deleting files and other information.
- The ability to edit files.
- Take screenshots.
- Record audio.
- Install other malware.
- Create copies of itself to make it harder to manually delete.
- Run a process in Activity Monitor to constantly monitor your keystrokes (what you type).
- Get your system information.
These risks are what make Silver Sparrow malware especially dangerous for your Mac and its removal is strongly recommended.
Remove Silver Sparrow Trojan from Your Mac
Silver Sparrow Trojan can create backup files and even if you delete the main ones, it can still exist on your Mac, fooling you into believing you have gotten rid of it. This is why, besides following the removal steps guide below, we also recommend that you download and run a scan of your Mac, using an advanced anti-malware app. Such professional software is created to detect any virus files of Silver Sparrow and other Trojans and can delete it from your Mac effectively.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
Follow Me:
Steps to Prepare Before Removal:
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.
- 1. Scan for Mac Malware
- 2. Uninstall Risky Apps
- 3. Clean Your Browsers
Step 1: Scan for and remove Silver Sparrow files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Silver Sparrow, 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.
Quick and Easy Mac Malware Video Removal Guide
Bonus Step: How to Make Your Mac Run Faster?
Mac machines maintain probably the fastest operating system out there. Still, Macs do become slow and sluggish sometimes. The video guide below examines all of the possible problems that may lead to your Mac being slower than usual as well as all of the steps that can help you to speed up your Mac.
Step 2: Uninstall Silver Sparrow 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:
2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:
3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Silver Sparrow:
4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.
5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Silver Sparrow. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.
6. Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Silver Sparrow. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
7. Remove any leftover files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:
- 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 Silver Sparrow 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:
1. Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:
2. Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:
3. Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Silver Sparrow. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.
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 3: Remove Silver Sparrow – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
Silver Sparrow-FAQ
What is Silver Sparrow on your Mac?
The Silver Sparrow threat is probably a potentially unwanted app. There is also a chance it could be related to Mac malware. If so, such apps tend to slow your Mac down significantly and display advertisements. They could also use cookies and other trackers to obtain browsing information from the installed web browsers on your Mac.
Can Macs Get Viruses?
Yes. As much as any other device, Apple computers do get malware. Apple devices may not be a frequent target by malware authors, but rest assured that almost all of the Apple devices can become infected with a threat.
What Types of Mac Threats Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the types of threats that can currently infect your Mac can be rogue antivirus programs, adware or hijackers (PUPs), Trojan horses, ransomware and crypto-miner malware.
What To Do If I Have a Mac Virus, Like Silver Sparrow?
Do not panic! You can easily get rid of most Mac threats by firstly isolating them and then removing them. One recommended way to do that is by using a reputable malware removal software that can take care of the removal automatically for you.
There are many Mac anti-malware apps out there that you can choose from. SpyHunter for Mac is one of the reccomended Mac anti-malware apps, that can scan for free and detect any viruses. This saves time for manual removal that you would otherwise have to do.
How to Secure My Data from Silver Sparrow?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your e-mail passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activiites with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these reccomendations, your network and Apple devices will become significantly more safe against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
More tips you can find on our MacOS Virus section, where you can also ask any questions and comment about your Mac problems.
About the Silver Sparrow Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Silver Sparrow how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific macOS issue.
How did we conduct the research on Silver Sparrow?
Please note that our research is based on an independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware definitions, including the various types of Mac threats, especially adware and potentially unwanted apps (PUAs).
Furthermore, the research behind the Silver Sparrow threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand the threat posed by Mac malware, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.