M1 Macs Targeted by Additional Malware, Exact Threat Remains a Mystery

The second known piece of malware that has been compiled to run natively on M1 Macs has been discovered by security firm Red Canary.

m1 mac mini screen
Given the name "Silver Sparrow," the malicious package is said to leverage the macOS Installer JavaScript API to execute suspicious commands. After observing the malware for over a week, however, neither Red Canary nor its research partners observed a final payload, so the exact threat that the malware poses remains a mystery.

Nevertheless, Red Canary said the malware could be "a reasonably serious threat":

Though we haven't observed Silver Sparrow delivering additional malicious payloads yet, its forward-looking M1 chip compatibility, global reach, relatively high infection rate, and operational maturity suggest Silver Sparrow is a reasonably serious threat, uniquely positioned to deliver a potentially impactful payload at a moment's notice.

According to data provided by Malwarebytes, "Silver Sparrow" had infected 29,139 macOS systems across 153 countries as of February 17, including "high volumes of detection in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Germany." Red Canary did not specify how many of these systems were M1 Macs, if any.

Given that the "Silver Sparrow" binaries "don't seem to do all that much" yet, Red Canary referred to them as "bystander binaries." When executed on Intel-based Macs, the malicious package simply shows a blank window with a "Hello, World!" message, while the Apple silicon binary leads to a red window that says "You did it!"

you did it silver sparrow
Red Canary shared methods for detecting a wide array of macOS threats, but the steps are not specific to detecting "Silver Sparrow":

- Look for a process that appears to be PlistBuddy executing in conjunction with a command line containing the following: LaunchAgents and RunAtLoad and true. This analytic helps us find multiple macOS malware families establishing LaunchAgent persistence.
- Look for a process that appears to be sqlite3 executing in conjunction with a
command line that contains: LSQuarantine. This analytic helps us find multiple macOS malware families manipulating or searching metadata for downloaded files.
- Look for a process that appears to be curl executing in conjunction with a command line that contains: s3.amazonaws.com. This analytic helps us find multiple macOS malware families using S3 buckets for distribution.

The first piece of malware capable of running natively on M1 Macs was discovered just days ago. Technical details about this second piece of malware can be found in Red Canary's blog post, and Ars Technica has a good explainer as well.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
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 render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Redesigned Dynamic Island

Monday July 7, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, according to a post today from Digital Chat Station, an account with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has accurately leaked some information regarding future Apple products in the past. The account did not share any specific details about the alleged changes that are ...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Prime Day Deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and More

Monday July 7, 2025 10:55 am PDT by
Amazon is back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront. With the event now underway, we're tracking numerous all-time low prices on Apple gear right now. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a...

Top Rated Comments

Vol Braakzakje Avatar
57 months ago
it’s Intel that tries to get people afraid to buy M1s
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chachawpi Avatar
57 months ago

Nothing more than fear mongering. These are just existing Mac malware/adware exploits that are being ported to run on ARM. So, what? What would you expect? All this crap comes from Windows/x86/PCs to begin with. And then MR gives is front page status? It's the same stuff that ALREADY EXISTS on other Macs and Windows PCs, for crying out loud! Click bait. Boo.
If security researchers say it's a big deal, it's a big deal. Why so defensive anyway?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joniz Avatar
57 months ago

Nothing more than fear mongering. These are just existing Mac malware/adware exploits that are being ported to run on ARM. So, what? What would you expect? All this crap comes from Windows/x86/PCs to begin with. And then MR gives is front page status? It's the same stuff that ALREADY EXISTS on other Macs and Windows PCs, for crying out loud! Click bait. Boo.
Because it’s nice to hear that more developers are porting to Apple Silicon.

It’s a feel-good article.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CmdrLaForge Avatar
57 months ago
Ok, how does this article help in avoiding the threat or detecting it. How does one get infected?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Populus Avatar
57 months ago
Well, color me concerned.

Is this threat capable of infecting without our consent? (This is, allowing privileges when it tries to install itself). You know, requiring us to put the system password when required. Because otherwise, we should be safe just installing only from well known sources. Or Open Source software.

By the way thank you MacRumors (@Joe Rossignol, @arn) for letting us know about this issues. Just like on other issues like staingate and the butterflykeyboardgate, It is great that you report all this problems even if some people don’t like to hear about them.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Populus Avatar
57 months ago

Thank you! I will not be buying anything that says M1 or M1x for at least 2 years.
Actually -and anyone who thinks I am wrong, please correct me- I think this threat is the same for Intel and M1 macs. It is compiled for both architectures.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)