McAfee warns of new Mac malware attack

A Trojan aimed at Mac users disguises itself as a video program

Researchers at McAfee Avert Labs have warned that a new malware attack for Mac OS X systems has been spotted in the wild.

Known informally as 'Puper', the Trojan disguises itself as a video program for OS X systems called 'MacCinema'.

The attack appears as a disk image which launches an installer application for the fictional MacCinema software. Once the installer completes its task, the user becomes infected with a script file named 'AdobeFlash'.

The malicious script then launches itself every five hours, and attempts to download and launch other malware on the infected system.

This latest attack is similar to others which have targeted OS X users in recent months, often enticing the user to download and install the malware by posing as a video player or 'codec' plug-in required to view movie files.

Other attacks have bundled Trojan installers with pirated software. One such attack was used to construct an all-Mac botnet.

Researchers have warned that, while levels of Mac malware pale in comparison to Windows, users should still adopt basic security measures, such as keeping an updated system and avoiding suspicious downloads or file attachments.