Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef is a family of rogue programs that affect Mac OSX. This rogue claims to scan for malware and displays fake warning messages regarding “malicious programs and viruses”. It attempts to scare you into paying for the fake product by displaying adult content, fake scan results, infection messages and warnings. Earlier variants of Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef required your administrator password in order to successfully install on the targeted computer, but newer variants (as of late May 2011) do not.
Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef has been distributed with several different names. The user interface and other details vary to reflect each variant’s individual branding. These different distributions of the rogue may use various installation methods, with file names and system modifications that can differ from one variant to the next.
Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef distributions
For detailed information on the particular subvariants of this family, including their methods of installation and additional payloads, please select the appropriate link from the list below:
Installation
Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef might make a number of changes to an affected computer during installation, including the following:
- Adds an icon to the menu bar that displays the rogue application's status, and enables you to access the application
- Creates a login item in the Account system preferences. This enables the rogue application to launch each time you log in
- Creates a number of files - the rogue gathers system information and stores the text files in the root directory, for example:
Dmem.txt – contains default disk space information
Hwuuid.txt – contains the Hardware UUID
Proc.txt – contains a list of all current running processes
It also scans the affected computer and gathers legitimate information from the system which is used in its fake scan results in order to appear more convincing. The following files may be created for this purpose:
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~/Library/Preferences/com.aple.sv.plist
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~ /Library/Caches/ com.aple.sv.plist
The installer uses a metapackage (.mpkg) which performs the installation of multiple packages. This package serves as a container for the malicious application. The container might generate a unique installer file for every repackage version, although this does not directly imply that the malicious application contained has been modified.
Distributed via...
While unable to spread of its own accord, the Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef installer has been observed being distributed via poisoned image search results.
Payload
Displays false/misleading malware alerts
Once installed, Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef informs users that scanning is in progress and thereafter displays a fake scan result. It attempts to scare you by providing false infection reports, and then persuade you to follow a recommended course of action in order to protect sensitive data (such as you credit card details). This social engineering technique is used by the rogue in order to force you to pay for the fake product; otherwise the installed rogue application continues to remind you with its scare-message campaign.
The rogue application attempts to appear as a legitimate security product by displaying the following features in its interface:
- Database update - displays a status message when appearing to load and update the database
- Control Center – displays information such as security status, license, and feature controls
- Scan - provides quick, normal and full scan types for you to choose from
- System Info – displays a list of running processes, disk and RAM memory usage and license type. This feature also appears to allow you to stop a process
- Settings – allows you to set the application to run each time you start your computer. You might also choose to enable the application to perform background scanning
- About – provides information about the product, 24x7 email, phone and ticket support and option to purchase serial number
See below for examples of fake alerts displayed by Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef:
Visits adult websites
Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef opens your default web browser to access adult websites. This payload attempts to convince you that your computer is infected and requires attention.
The rogue application has been observed visiting the following predetermined list of adult websites:
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buy-viagra-now.net
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fitish.com
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gay.porn.com
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www.freebdsmgalleries.com
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www.gay.com
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www.porn.com
Contacts remote host
Once the installation is successful, the rogue sends an installation report to a remote server using an HTTP GET request. This report may include the following information:
- Build version
- Affiliate ID
- Hardware UUID
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CFUUID (a universally unique identifier generated by CoreFoundation)
The HTTP GET request might also contain the following information regarding your computer:
- Operating system type
- Operating system release
- Machine architecture
- Model
After sending the request, the response header contains a cookie. The cookie is extracted and stored using the NSHTTPCookieStorage class reference, which means that these cookies are shared among all applications and are kept in sync cross-process. The rogue application primarily uses the cookie to check the registration and serial number.
If you open the registration page, it sends another HTTP GET request with the installation report,
The following remote hosts were observed being contacted for these purposes:
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46.161.20.36
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69.50.208.17
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69.50.214.53
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69.50.214.54
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69.50.214.57
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86.55.210.10
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91.200.241.20
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91.200.241.200
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91.213.217.3
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91.213.217.30
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95.64.55.5
Downloads updates
Some versions of Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef include a component that allows it to install a new, or updated version of the application. To download an update, it accesses a remote server with the following URL:
http://<IP Address>/mac/soft.php?affid=<Affiliate ID>
where <IP address> is one of the remote hosts listed below, and <Affiliate ID> is a malware-supplied parameter.
The server then responds with the latest Rogue:MacOS_X/FakeMacdef version in a ZIP archive file, which is then installed in the "/Application" folder. The downloader component also ensures that this latest version is run.
The following remote hosts were observed being contacted for this purpose:
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178.17.162.117
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178.17.164.6
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213.229.106.135
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86.55.210.102
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91.200.241.200
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95.64.55.5
Additional information
Some versions of this rogue use obfuscation techniques in order to hinder analysis, detection and removal. Later versions of the rogue use encryption in order to hide the following information:
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IP addresses
- Affiliate ID
- Serial number
The rogue application attempts to convince you of its legitimacy by providing the following details for 24x7 support:
Email: support@mac-defence.com
Phone:1-800-959-40-31
Ticket: http://mac-defence.com
Analysis by Methusela Cebrian Ferrer
