OSX/SurfBuyer

Most malware released globally is built to target devices that run Windows. This is due to the sheer number of machines that are Windows-based, no other operating system comes anywhere near. However, some malware creators take up more niche markets. This is the case of the authors of the OSX/SurfBuyer. You might have derived from the name that this piece of software targets devices that run the OSX operating system. What makes Apple users a tasty target for shady actors online is that these users often believe that their machines are practically impenetrable for malware falsely and rarely take cybersecurity seriously.

OSX/SurfBuyer is not a harmful application. It falls in the category of adware. Despite the OSX/SurfBuyer not having any inherently unsafe behavior, this application will likely really irritate the user. The OSX/SurfBuyer will be flooding you with all sorts of advertisements constantly, often in the shape of pop-up windows. It is not guaranteed that the products and services promoted are high-end either, on the contrary, it is often shady individuals who promote their products via adware so that you have to be extra cautious with these advertisements.

The propagation method used by the authors of the OSX/SurfBuyer is spreading it via a software bundle containing a free software tool. Such software bundles often manage to sneak in an ad-spamming pest like the OSX/SurfBuyer. Users often click through the installation process of new applications quickly, and this is what shady actors like the ones responsible for the OSX/SurfBuyer are counting on because this is how their adware application will get authorization to be installed alongside the software tool that the user wanted to obtain. The OSX/SurfBuyer will display an endless flood of advertisements in the browser of the user.

The OSX/SurfBuyer also may trigger advertisements and pop-ups that ask the user to install software - often Rogue applications or Potentially Unwanted Programs. To make these offers even more irritating, the adware might generate them by using pre-made Bash scripts that work outside of the Web browser. The OSX/SurfBuyer is a very sneaky ad-pest and only runs in the background. Thus you will need to install a legitimate anti-virus application to wipe it off your system.