Apparently, LockBit Ransomware Is Now Targeting Macs

(CTN News) – LockBit has developed into one of the most powerful ransomware groups in the world over the past several years, and it is considered to be among the most sophisticated.

Despite the fact that the group has focused on Windows, Linux, and virtual machine hosts, it appears that they have also been working on a version of the ransomware that is capable of infecting Macs in addition to Windows and Linux systems.

What appears to be the first ransomware build designed specifically for macOS has surfaced on the web thanks to Malware Hunter Team (via Brett Callow), who discovered it via the Malware Hunter Team blog.

It is not entirely clear, but it may also be the first time that a major ransomware gang is targeting Apple devices and this may be a first for the industry.

Security analysts believe that LockBit is a Russian-based group, since most of the members are Russian-speaking and therefore it is believed that LockBit is a Russian-based group. It is, however, worth mentioning that the leader has stated that he operates out of the US or China.

As LockBit runs a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation, the company has grown quickly. In other words, the group lets other groups use their ransomware on a fee basis, as long as they pay a fee to the group.

There is a reason to believe that this LockBit ransomware was designed for Apple Silicon Macs with the build name being “locker_Apple_M1_64”.

While information security Twitter account vx-underground mentioned the appearance of this LockBit ransomware for Mac showing up in one place with a date of November 2022, Malware Hunter Team claims that they haven’t found any mentions of it online and I found the same, so if it was around since last fall, it seems that it may have gone under the radar until now.

Regardless of what the case may be, Malware Hunter Team believes this is the first public alert in regards to LockBit attempting to infect Apple devices.

In addition, considering the gang’s RaaS approach, it is possible that we may see a wave of ransomware attacks targeting Mac computers in the near future.

There is also a LockBit ransomware build that appears to be showing up for PowerPC Macs at the moment, even though the M1 ransomware build may be getting the most attention.

According to Jon DiMaggio of Analyst1 who spoke with Wired earlier this year, one of the reasons LockBit has grown to be so powerful is due to the business acumen of the company’s leaders.

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