Steve Kovach March 06, 2016 at 02:47PM
Macs have been hit with a nasty form of malware for the first time, Reuters first reported, citing a report from researchers at Palo Alto Networks.
This weekend, Macs using the popular file-sharing app Transmission were infected by ransomware, according to the report. Ransomware is a type of program that hijacks files on your computer until you pay a ransom to the hackers who created it. Hackers typically ask for the ransom in Bitcoin or another type of online currency.
This is the first time ransomware has been known to affect Macs, according to Palo Alto Networks. (Ransomware usually targets Windows PCs.)
The Mac ransomware is called KeRanger and takes three days to activate and hijack the files on your computer.
An Apple spokesperson told Tech Insider Sunday that the company has revoked the certificate that would allow KeRanger to work on Macs, which means it should be impossible for it to find its way onto your Mac now.
But what do you do if you think you've been infected?
Transmission's website advises users to upgrade to the latest version of the app, version 2.92, to remove KeRanger from their Mac. KeRanger infected the last version, version 2.90, on Friday. Updating to version 2.92 should fix everything. Do it now before KeRanger activates after the three-day mark.
Transmission is an open source program, meaning anyone can collaborate on it. Palo Alto Networks' report speculates that the ransomware could've snuck into Transmission when a new version was released on Friday. Representatives from Transmission were not available for comment.
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Macs have been hit by a scary form of malware for the first time from Business Insider: Steve Kovach
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