Tech
Everything you need to know about the malware stealing data from Mac users
Mac users have a new malware threat to be on the watch out for.
According to a new report by Malwarebytes, Infiniti Stealer is a new malware attack targeting Mac users that utilizes social engineering tactics and, once the payload is delivered to the device, is very difficult to detect.
Infiniti Stealer
The hacker's campaign, according to the report, begins with a social engineering technique known as ClickFix. ClickFix is a tactic that tricks the target themself into executing malicious code on their computer.
The targeted user is presented with a website, often through a phishing email or a pop-up on a compromised page, with an urgent update warning that claims to require the user to complete a Cloudflare human verification captcha.
The target is presented with a traditional "I am not a robot" box to check. However, the target is also asked to complete a "manual step." The page instructs the user to go to Spotlight on their Mac and search for the Terminal app. They are then instructed to paste a provided code into Terminal and hit return.
This code delivers Infiniti Stealer to the target's Mac.
"Because the user runs the command directly, many traditional defenses are bypassed," Malwarebytes says in its report. "There’s no exploit, no malicious attachment, and no drive‑by download."
According to Malwaybytes, the malware that's delivered to the victim's Mac is written in Python but compiled with Nuitka, which creates a native macOS binary. This makes Infiniti Stealer much more difficult to analyze and detect than the more typical type of malware.
"To our knowledge, this is the first documented macOS campaign combining ClickFix delivery with a Nuitka-compiled Python stealer," Malwarebytes says.
Once Infiniti Stealer is installed on a device, it will attempt to steal data from the victim's Mac and upload that information to the attacker's own server. Passwords, screenshots, browser data like cookies, and other sensitive information can be stolen from victims in these types of malware attacks.
Be aware of malware threats
Users should always be careful when following instructions from a website that they are unfamiliar with. Even then, users should be careful they are on a legitimate website of a company they do recognize and not a phishing website run by a bad actor.
Users should be aware that there is no form of captcha or verification that requires code to be entered in the Terminal app.
Furthermore, I typically recommend that anyone who isn't somewhat familiar with code to avoid any process that requires entering code in their Mac's Terminal.
If a user believes they may have been infected with malware, Malwarebytes recommends that they stop using the affected computer. They should change their account passwords on a completely separate device and, if possible, revoke access from the infected computer.
Infiniti Stealer appears to follow a new trend of bad actors targeting Apple devices due to the incorrect perception that they are immune from viruses and other types of attacks. DarkSword, for example, is another new threat targeting iPhones and other iOS devices with a malware attack that doesn't even require a user to download any sort of malicious file.
Today's Connections: Sports Edition is for people who love college basketball.
As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Stats
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Green: Running a set
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Blue: Winners
-
Purple: Perfect season
Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Basketball Stats, In Singular Form
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Green: Basketball Offenses
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Blue: Championship-Winning Men's College Basketball Coaches
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Purple: Men's College Basketball Teams to Complete Undefeated Season
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #558 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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Basketball Stats, In Singular Form – BLOCK, MINUTE, STEAL, TURNOVER
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Basketball Offenses – MOTION, PICK AND ROLL, PRINCETON, TRIANGLE
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Championship-Winning Men's College Basketball Coaches – DREW, FISHER, SELF, WOODEN
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Men's College Basketball Teams to Complete Undefeated Season – INDIANA, NORTH CAROLINA, SAN FRANCISCO, UCLA
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
A spigot.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
SPOUT
Hurdle Word 2 hint
A leg exercise.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
LUNGE
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
Hurdle Word 3 hint
Fire.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
FLAME
Hurdle Word 4 hint
To smash into.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
CRASH
Final Hurdle hint
Gleam
Hurdle Word 5 answer
SHINE
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love old-school detectives.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
Here's a hint for today's Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
-
Yellow: Science terms
-
Green: Old-school detective
-
Blue: Turn over
-
Purple: Muck
Here are today's Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
-
Yellow: Atomic structure terms
-
Green: Parts of a Sherlock Holmes costume
-
Blue: Things to flip
-
Purple: Starting with synonyms for "Slush"
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #1029 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
-
Atomic structure terms: ELECTRON, NUCLEUS, ORBIT, SHELL
-
Parts of a Sherlock Holmes costume: DEERSTALKER, MAGNIFYING GLASS, PIPE, VIOLIN
-
Things to flip: COIN, LIGHT SWITCH, PANCAKE, THE BIRD
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Starting with synonyms for "Slush": GOOGOL, MUSHROOM, PASTEURIZE, PULPIT
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
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