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What kind of malware KandyKorn?
A recently discovered macOS malware called KandyKorn has been found in an attack linked to the North Korean Lazarus hacking group. Their targets are blockchain engineers who work with cryptocurrency exchange platforms. The attackers pretend to be part of the cryptocurrency community on Discord to share Python modules, which then kickstart a complicated infection process involving KandyKorn.
KandyKorn malware overview
KandyKorn is a highly sophisticated final-stage payload utilized as a tool that enables threat actors to infiltrate and extract data from the compromised computer. Operating covertly in the background as a daemon, KandyKorn patiently awaits commands from the Command and Control (C2) server.
This versatile malware supports various commands, each tailored for multiple purposes. These commands empower the attackers to perform actions ranging from gathering system information and listing directory contents to uploading and exfiltrating files, securely deleting files, managing running processes, executing system commands, and even initiating an interactive shell session for more hands-on control.
The consequences that victims may face as a result of this versatile malware, capable of executing a wide array of commands, are multifaceted and can be highly detrimental.
The KandyKorn's ability to gather system information and list directory contents enables attackers to gain deep insights into the victim's system, potentially leading to the theft of sensitive data, such as login credentials, financial information, or proprietary files.
By uploading and exfiltrating files, the attackers can engage in data theft, which could result in compromised intellectual property, financial loss, or data breaches. The malware's capacity for securely deleting files raises concerns for victims, as it may be employed to cover their tracks by erasing evidence of their activities, making it challenging for cybersecurity professionals to investigate or recover lost data.
Managing running processes can disrupt the victim's system operations and potentially lead to system instability or crashes. Furthermore, executing system commands and initiating an interactive shell session give the attackers significant control over the victim's computer, allowing them to carry out various malicious activities, such as installing additional malware, altering system settings, or launching cyberattacks.
Overall, KandyKorn's extensive capabilities create a broad spectrum of potential consequences for victims, including data breaches, financial losses, system disruptions, and a significant invasion of privacy.
| Name | KandyKorn macOS malware |
| Threat Type | Mac malware, Mac virus |
| Detection Names | Avast (MacOS:Agent-ACF [Trj]), Combo Cleaner (Gen:Variant.Trojan.MAC.Agent.5), ESET-NOD32 (OSX/NukeSped.AE), Kaspersky (HEUR:Backdoor.OSX.Agent.ao), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Malicious apps like KandyKorn are designed to stealthily infiltrate the victim's computer and remain silent, and thus no particular symptoms are clearly visible on an infected machine. |
| Distribution Methods | Discord, Social engineering, Deceptive ZIP files. |
| Damage | Monetary loss, identity theft, additional infections, data loss, system disruptions, privacy invasion, and more. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) |
To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. Download Combo CleanerTo use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, KandyKorn is a highly sophisticated macOS malware associated with the Lazarus hacking group, designed for targeted attacks on blockchain engineers and cryptocurrency exchange platforms. Its multi-stage infection chain, initiated through Discord impersonation, grants attackers a wide range of capabilities, from data theft and file manipulation to system disruption and command execution.
More examples of malware targeting macOS users are MetaStealer, XLoader, and JokerSpy.
How did KandyKorn install on my computer?
The infection process initiates on Discord with a social engineering approach designed to trick targets into downloading a deceptive ZIP archive named "Cross-platform Bridges.zip". This archive masquerades as a legitimate arbitrage bot for cryptocurrency trading.
After extracting the ZIP archive's contents, a Python script called "Main.py" launches, importing 13 modules, including "Watcher.py", a downloader. Watcher.py proceeds to unpack and run "testSpeed.py" while obtaining "FinderTools" from a Google Drive URL.
FinderTools serves as a dropper, fetching and executing an obfuscated binary named "SugarLoader". SugarLoader establishes a connection with a command and control (C2) server and loads the final payload, KandyKorn.
How to avoid installation of malicious applications?
Only obtain software and files from reputable sources (official pages and application stores), and be wary of email attachments and links in suspicious emails from unknown sources. Avoid clicking on pop-up ads or visiting potentially harmful websites. Keep your operating system, software, and antivirus programs up to date.
Use reliable antivirus software and never download pirated software or tools designed to bypass software activation. If your computer is already infected, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate all threats.
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
DOWNLOAD Combo CleanerBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by RCS LT, the parent company of PCRisk.com.
Quick menu:
Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:
Unwanted applications removal:
Remove potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:
Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select "Applications". In the applications folder, look for "MPlayerX","NicePlayer", or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.
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Mac malware removal and recovery procedure
Common Mac malware behaviors
VisibleAdware injection - browser hijackers and fake search engines
The most common Mac malware. Replaces your default search engine, homepage, or new-tab page with a lookalike domain that funnels every query through ad networks before passing it to a real provider. Often arrives bundled with cracked apps, fake Flash Player updates, or "free media player" downloads (MPlayerX, NicePlayer).
HiddenLaunchAgent / LaunchDaemon persistence
The standard way Mac malware survives reboots. A small .plist file in /Library/LaunchAgents/, /Library/LaunchDaemons/, or ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ tells launchd to run the malware at every login or boot. The .plist often picks a generic-looking name like com.apple.AdobeFlash.plist or com.system.helper.plist to blend in among legitimate Apple files.
HiddenConfiguration Profile abuse
Configuration Profiles are an enterprise feature - they let an IT department enforce policy on managed Macs (homepage, DNS, certificates, password rules). Adware abuses this by silently installing a Profile that locks the browser homepage, default search, or DNS server at the OS level. Manual browser reset doesn't help - the Profile reapplies the hijack. Check System Settings → General → Device Management (or "Profiles" on older macOS).
VisibleFake update prompts (FlashPlayer.dmg variants)
"Your Flash Player is out of date" or "Update your browser to view this content." Adobe killed Flash in 2020 - any current "Flash update" prompt is malware. The Atomic macOS Stealer (AMOS) family heavily uses this trick to deliver info-stealers that grab browser passwords, keychain items, and crypto wallet seed phrases. Apple's Software Update never appears as a browser pop-up.
SymptomCryptominer CPU usage
Fans spin loudly, the Mac runs hot, battery drains fast, Activity Monitor shows a process near 100% CPU. Cryptominers run silently in the background to mint cryptocurrency for the attacker. Often delivered via cracked apps from torrent sites, browser extensions, or supply-chain compromises in legitimate Mac software.
HiddenInfo stealing - AMOS, Banshee, Cthulhu, RustDoor
Modern Mac stealer families - AMOS (Atomic macOS Stealer), Banshee, Cthulhu, and RustDoor are the most active - read browser-saved passwords, cookies, autofill data, the macOS Keychain, crypto wallet seed phrases (Exodus, Electrum, Trezor Suite, MetaMask, etc.), and Apple Notes. AMOS is the most prolific overall, distributed via fake software installers, cracked apps, and fake "Spotlight" or "ChatGPT" sites. Once data is exfiltrated, the malware often deletes itself, leaving little trace - which is why credential rotation in Step 10 is critical even after the infection appears gone.
Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar (or open Control Center) and turn Wi-Fi off. If you're on Ethernet, unplug the cable. This stops any active info-stealer or backdoor from sending data out or accepting commands. Keep the network off until you've booted into Safe Mode (next step) - you'll reconnect there briefly to download the scanner.
macOS Safe Mode loads only Apple-trusted kernel extensions and skips most third-party LaunchAgents and user login items, so persistent Mac malware doesn't auto-run while you set up the scanner. Network access works normally in Safe Mode.
- Choose
- Wait until the Mac is fully off
- Press and hold the Power button until "Loading startup options" appears
- Select your startup disk (usually "Macintosh HD")
- Hold Shift, then click Continue in Safe Mode
- Log in - the menu bar will show "Safe Boot" in red
Intel-based Mac
- Choose
- Immediately press and hold the Shift key as the Mac begins to boot
- Release Shift when the login window appears
- Log in - the menu bar will show "Safe Boot" in red
Once Safe Mode has loaded, turn Wi-Fi back on and download Combo Cleaner for Mac. Save the .dmg to your Desktop. You can disconnect Wi-Fi again before scanning if you want extra caution.
Open Activity Monitor (, or Cmd+Space and type "Activity Monitor"). Sort by CPU usage to spot cryptominers and runaway processes.
Click each unfamiliar process and choose (Cmd+I) to see:
- Path - anything in
/private/tmp/,~/Library/Application Support/<random-name>/, or with a generic-looking bundle ID is suspicious - Code signing - Apple's processes are signed by "Apple" or "Software Signing." Adhoc-signed or unsigned binaries from third parties warrant investigation
- Open Files and Ports - shows what the process is touching on disk and network
Download KnockKnock by Objective-See (Patrick Wardle's free tool, the Mac equivalent of Sysinternals Autoruns). It lists every place macOS malware can persist in a single window: LaunchAgents, LaunchDaemons, Login Items, Cron Jobs, Browser Extensions, Kernel Extensions, Authorization Plug-ins, Mail Plug-ins, Quicklook, Spotlight, and more.
Run KnockKnock and toggle "Filter Signed Items" to focus on unsigned or non-Apple-signed entries. Click any suspicious item to see its file path and code-signing status.
If you'd rather check manually, open Finder → (Shift+Cmd+G) and visit each path:
/Library/LaunchAgents/- system-wide, runs at login for any user/Library/LaunchDaemons/- system-wide, runs at boot before login~/Library/LaunchAgents/- user-level, runs at this user's login~/Library/Application Support/- where adware drops its data folder, often with a random or app-mimicking name
Then check additional persistence locations in System Settings:
- Login Items & Extensions - . Click anything you don't recognize and remove it
- Background Items - same panel, "Allow in the Background" section. Mac malware often shows up as a background item with an obscure name
- Configuration Profiles - (or "Profiles" on older macOS). Remove any Profile you didn't install yourself
<key>Program</key> and <key>ProgramArguments</key> values tell you exactly what executable runs and from where. Don't delete yet - write down the file paths and entry names. We'll remove them after the Combo Cleaner scan in Step 7.
Mac malware sometimes redirects bank, Apple, antivirus, and update domains to attacker-controlled servers via the hosts file or DNS settings.
Hosts file: Open Terminal () and run:
sudo nano /etc/hosts
Legitimate entries are commented with #. Any uncommented IP-to-domain mapping is suspicious - especially redirects for apple.com, icloud.com, your bank, or your password manager. Press Ctrl+X to exit nano without saving.
DNS settings: → click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) → Details → DNS. Confirm DNS servers point to your ISP, your router, or a known public resolver (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, Google 8.8.8.8). Anything else has been hijacked.
chase.com and you'll be at the attacker's clone.Open the .dmg you downloaded in Step 2. Drag the Combo Cleaner icon to the Applications folder. Open it from Launchpad (or Applications), allow it to update its threat database, then click Start Combo Scan and let it complete fully. Review what it found and apply the recommended actions.
Reopen KnockKnock (or revisit the Finder paths from Step 4). Anything you flagged that's still present hasn't been caught by the automated scan. For each remaining suspicious entry:
- Note the executable path the .plist references (right-click the .plist → Open With → TextEdit, look at
<key>Program</key>) - Move the .plist to Trash
- Move the executable file at the referenced path to Trash
- Empty the Trash
Then go to /Applications and remove any unwanted apps the malware installed. Common adware-installed app names: MPlayerX, NicePlayer, MyShopcoupon, Advanced Mac Cleaner, Mac Cleanup Pro. Drag them to Trash, then check ~/Library/Application Support/ for any folder with the same name and delete it too.
Mac adware persists in browser extensions, search engine settings, homepage, and notification permissions. Reset each browser you use:
- Safari: - uninstall anything you don't recognize. Then - restore your preferred default search engine. Then - remove all unfamiliar sites. For a deep reset: → "all history."
- Chrome: visit
chrome://settings/reset→ "Restore settings to their original defaults." Thenchrome://settings/content/notificationsand remove unfamiliar sites. - Firefox: open
about:support→ Refresh Firefox. Then check .
Review installed extensions in each browser and remove anything you don't recognize, especially extensions you didn't install yourself.
Some Mac malware tries to weaken built-in security to make persistence easier. Verify each is on:
- Gatekeeper (blocks unsigned apps): → scroll to Allow applications downloaded from → confirm "App Store and identified developers" is selected (not "Anywhere"). If the malware added itself to the allow-list, the entry appears in the same panel - remove it.
- FileVault (full-disk encryption): → confirm "FileVault is on for this disk." If it was disabled by malware, turn it back on.
- System Integrity Protection (SIP): open Terminal and run
csrutil status. Output should be "System Integrity Protection status: enabled." If disabled, you'll need to reboot into Recovery Mode and runcsrutil enablefrom there.
Then run macOS Software Update () to apply the latest security patches.
If the malware was an info-stealer (AMOS, Banshee, Cthulhu, or RustDoor families are extremely common on Mac), assume every password saved in your browser is compromised. So is your iCloud Keychain if it was unlocked while the malware ran. Change passwords from a different, known-clean device - your iPhone is fine if it's not infected.
Recommended order:
- Apple ID first - it controls iCloud, Find My, Apple Pay, and the App Store
- Primary email - the recovery hub for everything else
- Banking and financial accounts
- Password manager master password (if you use one)
- Crypto wallet seed phrases - if you store any seed phrase or private key on the Mac, AMOS specifically targets these. Move funds to a fresh wallet from a clean device immediately, before changing other passwords
- Social media, shopping, and remaining accounts
Where available, enable phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (passkeys / hardware keys / authenticator apps) - SMS-based MFA is bypassable.
Reconnect to the network and run one final full scan with Combo Cleaner. Open and confirm nothing suspicious has reappeared. Open Activity Monitor and verify no unfamiliar process is using significant CPU.
Over the next 7 days, watch for symptom recurrence: high CPU when the Mac is idle, browser redirects returning, fake update prompts, or unfamiliar Login Items reappearing. If anything returns, you missed a persistence point and the procedure needs to be repeated - or you may have a deeper compromise that requires a clean macOS reinstall.
When to reinstall macOS instead
Manual removal isn't always the right answer. Reinstalling macOS from scratch is the only way to be 100% certain when:
- The malware reappears after every removal attempt
- A kernel extension or system-level component was modified
- Confirmed credential-theft malware ran with admin rights - the system likely has multiple unknown payloads
- The Mac is used for online banking, crypto wallets, business email, or anything where partial doubt isn't acceptable
macOS reinstall is straightforward: shut down → boot to Recovery (Apple Silicon: hold the Power button → Options; Intel: Cmd+R during boot) → Erase Mac → Reinstall macOS. Back up documents to external storage first, scan the backup with Combo Cleaner before restoring it, and reinstall apps fresh - never restore them from a backup of the infected system.
Important: Manual removal of Mac malware requires care - deleting the wrong .plist or system app can prevent macOS from booting normally. If you're not confident identifying system files from malicious files, run an automated scan with Combo Cleaner for Mac and stop there - that path catches the vast majority of consumer Mac malware without the risk of breaking macOS.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
My computer is infected with KandyKorn malware, should I format my storage device to get rid of it?
Formatting your storage device is a drastic solution and should be considered a last resort. Before doing that, try running reputable security software like Combo Cleaner to scan and remove the KandyKorn malware.
What are the biggest issues that malware can cause?
Malware can cause significant issues, including data loss, identity theft, financial fraud, and system instability. It can lead to the theft of sensitive personal and financial information, as well as the loss of critical data. Malware can also damage or disrupt computer systems, slowing down performance and potentially rendering them inoperable. Furthermore, it can be used as a tool for cyberattacks, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
What is the purpose of KandyKorn malware?
KandyKorn allows threat actors to gather sensitive system information, list directory contents, upload and exfiltrate files, securely delete files, manage running processes, execute system commands, and initiate interactive shell sessions, providing extensive control over the victim's computer.
How did KandyKorn malware infiltrate my computer?
KandyKorn malware is delivered through a Discord social engineering attack. Victims are being deceived into downloading a deceptive ZIP archive posing as a cryptocurrency arbitrage bot. This archive contains a Python script, "Main.py", which triggers a chain of processes, including the execution of "SugarLoader", ultimately establishing a connection to a command and control (C2) server and loading KandyKorn as the final payload.
Will Combo Cleaner protect me from malware?
Combo Cleaner has the capability to detect and remove nearly all well-known malware infections. Sophisticated malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. Therefore, running a comprehensive system scan is essential.
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Tomas Meskauskas
Expert security researcher, professional malware analyst
I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats.
PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT.
Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.
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DonatePCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT.
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