A new malware and spyware has been created specifically to target Apple computers and watches.

According to security firms Alienvault and Fortinet, the new ransomware demands payments before release and encrypts data, and the spyware scoops valuable information.

Fortinet researchers found the malware on the dark web for free and sent the product soon after pretending to be interested in the product to the creator, helping them conclude that it’s a less sophisticated encryption than the many variants seen targeting Windows machines.

“Even if it is far inferior to most current ransomware targeting Windows, it doesn’t fail to encrypt victims files or prevent access to important files, thereby causing real damage,” wrote Fortinet researchers.

“The malicious code in the spyware tried hard to evade many of the standard ways security programmes spot and stop such programmes,” added AlienVault researcher, Pete Ewane.

According to researchers, any files scrambled with this ransomware will be lost.

Written from source by Leah Alger

Source: BBC