Researchers from F-Secure, Webroot, and Avast have uncovered Janicab.A, a new trojan that was discovered as a threat to Macs last week and Windows users on Monday, with findings being published recently.

For OS X users, Janicab.A was signed with a valid Apple Developer ID and also uses a special unicode character known as a "right-to-left override" (RLO) that is used in email malware attacks. From there, the trojan uses a YouTube page to hijack infected computers, directs them to command-and-control (C&C) servers, and then leaves the server and hides the infection by making the malware appear as a harmless PDF or DOC file.

janicab_2a_malware
Webroot writes:

After a relatively long lag period without seeing any particular new and exciting Mac malware, last week we saw the surfacing of a new and interesting method of compromising the OSX system. Malware authors have taken a new approach by altering file extensions of malicious .app packages in order to trick users into thinking they are opening relatively harmless .pdf or .doc files. Changing file extensions in Mac OSX can be tricky due to a built in security feature of the OS that detects attempts to change the extension and automatically annexes the extension of its correct file or package type.

This news comes after Apple updated security definitions to combat 'Yontoo', an adware trojan this past March, while also regularly dealing with Java-related vulnerabilities. Apple introduced Gatekeeper in OS X Mountain Lion in order to better deal with security threats, offering a way for users to restrict installation of apps to those signed by Apple-issued Developer IDs.

Top Rated Comments

whooleytoo Avatar
156 months ago
Cross-platform malware? And the Mac version was released first? Yaaaay!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blackcrayon Avatar
156 months ago
If it's signed with a valid developer ID shouldn't that mean Apple should've already revoked it? Which brings up a question, if Apple revokes a developer ID because of malware, does OS X notify you that was the reason? Or do they just say it's "invalid" (in which case lots of people will still right click and open it :)

(I'm guessing the File Quarantine feature should have this added as well by now)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
156 months ago


But what does it actually do? :confused:

It gets an article on MacRumors

:D
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jeznav Avatar
156 months ago
Not all OSX users have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. Icon FAIL.

Should've used Preview.app PDF icon instead.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Parasprite Avatar
156 months ago
Malware authors have taken a new approach by altering file extensions of malicious .app packages in order to trick users into thinking they are opening relatively harmless .pdf or .doc files.

New because of the .app part maybe, but .pdf.exe is not a new approach by any means.

Also, who here uses Adobe for PDFs? (beyond filling out that one form that didn't work right in Preview for some reason)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antonis Avatar
156 months ago
Still, don't get surprised if people that don't even have the adobe reader installed on their mac will still open a "pdf" that is using the acrobat icon. There are users and users.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...