Pwnet

Pwnet is a aggressive macOS application that has been around 2017, and many of the URLs associated with its activity are active to this very day. In short, Pwnet is meant to work as a cryptocurrency miner. These utilities are legitimate, but they are often abused by cybercriminals who install them on unprotected computers automatically. If you have an unauthorized cryptocurrency miner running on your system, you may end up experiencing severe system performance and stability issues, mainly due to the miner's habit of hoarding CPU resources.

Pwnet appears to be spread via hacks for the popular game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). The creators of the malware have developed a legit-looking website that provides users with the ability to download a public version of a CS:GO hack, or to subscribe for a private version that has more features, and claims to be more difficult to detect. Regardless if users opt to download the public or private version of the illicit application, they will always end up with the Pwnet cryptocurrency miner being installed on their computers. Of course, they will not see the installation process and, instead, they will only see the hack active while they play CS:GO. This might leave many of Pwnet's victims with the impression that everything is working correctly, and that there is nothing shady taking place in the background.

When Pwnet is activated, it will make sure to gain persistence by abusing Apple's Launch Daemon. Once the miner task is active, the victim's computer will be used to mine for Monero. When the Pwnet campaign was first discovered, researchers estimated that the fake CS:GO hack had been downloaded over 2,000 times.

macOS cryptocurrency miners have become a rather common occurrence in recent years, mainly because many Apple users underestimate the importance of using a reliable anti-malware software suite. If you are yet to protect your system with an anti-malware tool, then we advise you to do as soon as possible so that you will not fall victim to Pwnet, EggShell, EvilOSX, or another malware dedicated to infecting macOS (OSX) devices.