{"id":103289,"date":"2025-02-27T09:37:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/?p=103289"},"modified":"2025-03-03T11:41:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T19:41:36","slug":"report-3-9-billion-passwords-stolen-by-infostealer-malware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/report-3-9-billion-passwords-stolen-by-infostealer-malware\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: 3.9 billion passwords stolen by infostealer malware"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Burglar<\/p>\n

According to a state-of-cybercrime report<\/a> published last week, at least 4.3 million computers were infected with infostealer malware in 2024. The report also stated that as many as 3.9 billion passwords may have been “sourced from infostealer logs,” based on the research firm’s observations.<\/p>\n

Intego frequently reports on stealer malware for Mac<\/a>. Information-stealing malware designed to infect macOS has become increasingly common over the past couple of years. In fact, stealers are now the most common form of Mac malware that we observe in the wild.<\/p>\n

Among the most frequent sources of infection is Google search results. Threat actors buy up “sponsored” results (advertisements) that Google places above the actual search results. These often look like legitimate ads for whatever the user might be seeking; victims click on ad links, end up on a lookalike site, and unknowingly download and install Trojan horses designed to look like legitimate apps\u2014largely because they placed too much trust in Google to not lead them into harm’s way.<\/p>\n

The same thing can, of course, happen with other search engines as well. In fact, even Apple’s own App Store has been known to let in dangerous apps\u2014including a fake password manager<\/a> that may have been used as an infostealer Trojan. This is why it’s so important to always stay on guard, and to use a trusted third-party antivirus solution like Intego VirusBarrier.<\/p>\n

Intego can protect your Mac from infostealer malware<\/h3>\n

\"IntegoIntego VirusBarrier X9, included with Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9<\/a><\/strong>, is a powerful solution designed to protect against, detect, and eliminate Mac malware\u2014including but not limited to infostealers.<\/p>\n

If you believe your Mac may be infected, or to prevent future infections, it’s best to use antivirus software from a trusted Mac developer. VirusBarrier is antivirus software that has won numerous awards, and it is designed by Mac security experts. Its real-time scanning<\/a> provides the continuous protection that your Mac needs. VirusBarrier runs natively on both Intel- and Apple silicon-based Macs, and it’s compatible with Apple’s latest Mac operating system, macOS Sequoia.<\/p>\n

One of VirusBarrier’s unique features is that it can scan for malicious files on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch<\/a> in user-accessible areas of the device. To get started, just attach your iOS or iPadOS device to your Mac via a USB cable and open VirusBarrier.<\/p>\n

Windows PC users can also use Intego Antivirus for Windows<\/strong><\/a> to keep their computer protected from malware.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How can I learn more?<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>Each week on the Intego Mac Podcast<\/strong><\/a>, Intego’s Mac security experts discuss the latest Apple news, including security and privacy stories, and offer practical advice on getting the most out of your Apple devices. Be sure to follow the podcast<\/strong><\/a> to make sure you don\u2019t miss any episodes.<\/p>\n

You can also subscribe to our e-mail newsletter<\/strong><\/a> and keep an eye here on The Mac Security Blog<\/strong><\/a> for the latest Apple security and privacy news. And don’t forget to follow Intego on your favorite social media channels: \"Follow<\/a>\u00a0\"Follow<\/a>\u00a0\"Follow<\/a>\u00a0\"Follow<\/a>\u00a0\"Follow<\/a>\u00a0\"Follow<\/a>\u00a0\"Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A state-of-cybercrime report claims that infostealer malware may have leaked up to 3.9 billion passwords. The same report alleges that 4.3 million computers were infected with credential-stealing malware in 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":103300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[190],"tags":[4722],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n