CrashStealer hits macOS: steals passwords and crypto wallets

Jamf Threat Labs has identified a new infostealer on macOS called CrashStealer. It passes itself off as Apple’s own CrashReporter process.

According to the researchers, users can get infected through a fake collaboration app called Werkbit. It was delivered in an Apple-notarized installer that got past Apple’s Gatekeeper protections, then showed a fake password prompt that verified the victim’s password locally and opened the macOS Keychain. From there, Jamf Threat Labs says CrashStealer can steal Keychain passwords, browser data, crypto wallets, and other credentials that could be used for account takeovers or direct financial theft.

The researchers also believe this was probably a more targeted campaign than the usual broad malware push. The download was PIN-protected, the malware was written in native C++ rather than the AppleScript-heavy style often seen on macOS, and the stolen data was encrypted with AES-GCM before exfiltration. Jamf says CrashStealer overlaps with Atomic Stealer and MacSync, but it’s being tracked as a separate family for now. Who’s behind it, how many victims there are, which regions were affected, and how the lure was distributed are all still unknown.

If you use a Mac regularly, this one matters. Apple-notarized apps can still conceal serious credential theft. Jamf says the fake Werkbit download was hosted on a convincing site tied to a newly registered domain, though Apple has since revoked the abused developer ID. If you want the full breakdown, Jamf Threat Labs’ macOS report has the details.