Coincidence? I think NOT! - New Malware found to inject Bing results into Google Seaches

[rcmaehl]

Source:
The Register
AiroAV Report
 

Summary:
Malware disguised as Adobe Flash plugins using MITM attacks to inject Bing results into Google Searches.

Quotes/Excerpts:

Quote

A devious and baffling new strain of malware intercepts and tampers with internet traffic on infected Apple Macs to inject Bing results into users' Google search results. A report out...by security house AiroAV details how...a software nasty ...configures compromised macOS computers to route the user's network connections through a local proxy server that modifies Google search results. Normally, malware that squirts ads and other junk into websites as they are visited on Macs typically relies on installing browser or operating system extensions, or injecting AppleScript, to pull off this kind of caper. The malware masquerades as an installer for an Adobe Flash plugin...that the user is tricked into running,... asks the victim for their macOS account username and password,... install a local web proxy and configure the system so that all web browser requests go through it. When the user opens their browser and attempts to run a Google search on an infected Mac, the request is routed to the local proxy, which injects into the Google results page an HTML iframe containing fetched Bing results for the same query, weirdly enough. It's believed the Bing results bring in web ads that generate revenue for the malware's masterminds. "To our understanding, the attackers make money out of ads they are managed to serve via this process," an Airo spokesperson told us. "It could be Bing ads in this case, or other ads throughout the process." "This aggressive search takeover and injection method seem to be a response to recent changes in macOS Mojave which had deprecated ‘traditional’ methods such as extension installation and browser setting takeovers," the pair explained. 

 

My Thoughts:

MY GOD... Someone inform the UN. We need top minds on this NOW! Someone needs to put this criminal in jail immediately. Unless you're looking for specific content in which Bing is significantly better for... Regardless, it's interesting to watch Malware adapt to Apple continuously removing permissions on macOS.

[Sauron]

Quote

Adobe Flash

If you're still using flash you deserve this.

[duncannah]

46 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

Unless you're looking for specific content in which Bing is significantly better for

Yandex works too

[captain_to_fire]

59 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

Regardless, it's interesting to watch Malware adapt to Apple continuously removing permissions on macOS

While Apple is quick in patching vulnerabilities when discovered, they don’t necessarily have the best practices in keeping their users safe. 

• Apple’s payouts for their iOS bug bounty is cheap compared to other companies which also allows everyone to participate in the bug bounty. Apple’s bug bounty is an invite only. 
• They don’t have a macOS bug bounty. [here]
• macOS’ built in antivirus called “XProtect” only relies on static signatures unlike Windows Defender and others which has additional components that uploads unknown and suspicious files to the cloud for analysis. 
• Apple can be quite selfish when it comes to virus discoveries. 

And yet, there are still some ill-informed Mac users who still believe that Macs can’t get infected. 

[Doobeedoo]

Now that's funny. 

[Misanthrope]

Oh look: it's the battle of the dipshits and we're probably screwed no matter who wins.

[ImAyaanKhan]

2 hours ago, Mr. horse said:

dose bing still have that thing were if you use it you get gift cards?

Could this would be why they are doing this? Or maybe someone from M$ did this ?

Yeah, they still have it via microsoft rewards. Takes ages to get points bc its 5 per search with a 50 point a day limit, and you have to spend like 1.3k points for a 1.25 cent gift card

[williamcll]

This is probably made by apple themselves so they could kill flash quicker.

[Gegger]

9 hours ago, ImAyaanKhan said:

Yeah, they still have it via microsoft rewards. Takes ages to get points bc its 5 per search with a 50 point a day limit, and you have to spend like 1.3k points for a 1.25 cent gift card

it's 150 on pc, 50 on mobile

[GoodBytes]

I think it may go deeper then this.

What I mean is that, Bing gives user back a small percentage return from the money they make as points (exchangeable for money via gift cards or give as donations or as tickets to get a chance to win MS Stores prices such as Surface's, laptops, etc.). I won't be surprise if there is work being put where the malware makers gets the clicks from people searches to its account to get these points.

 

Considering that Bing is actually pretty good based on my 3 month challenge, where only 1 or twice a week I had to switch to Google for better results (I am a dev, and I sometimes I do very specific searches), I am sure the presented results added in the Google page are pretty good.

[GoodBytes]

9 hours ago, ImAyaanKhan said:

Yeah, they still have it via microsoft rewards. Takes ages to get points bc its 5 per search with a 50 point a day limit, and you have to spend like 1.3k points for a 1.25 cent gift card

6,550 points gives you a 5$ Starbucks gift card. It is worth more the points if you get XBox or MS Store gift cards instead.

[ImAyaanKhan]

14 hours ago, Gegger said:

it's 150 on pc, 50 on mobile

Oh, sorry, I haven't used it in so long I forgot