Trojan.MacOS.Chatzum.A
Threat Scorecard
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Ranking: The ranking of a particular threat in EnigmaSoft’s Threat Database.
Severity Level: The determined severity level of an object, represented numerically, based on our risk modeling process and research, as explained in our Threat Assessment Criteria.
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See also Threat Assessment Criteria.
| Threat Level: | 90 % (High) |
| Infected Computers: | 3 |
| First Seen: | January 20, 2021 |
| Last Seen: | April 4, 2023 |
Trojan.MacOS.Chatzum.A is the detection designation for the Chatzum trojan. Chatzum is a threat affecting Mac devices. It is often classified as a browser-hijacker or adware because it exhibits behavior typical for those types of threats.
Chatzum is reportedly capable of displaying unsolicited advertisement messages through a multitude of avenues including messaging applications, browser pop-ups and it’s own browser plugin and toolbar. In this regard, Chatzum is similar to Zako, another adware for Mac.
Like Zako, Chatzum is also often installed in freeware bundles. This may happen with or without the informed consent of the user depending on the particular bundle. Another way for Chatzum to get installed on a Mac is through fake Flash updates. Chatzum also installs its own toolbar and automatically changes the default home page and search engine to search.chatzum.com. This behavior is very typical for browser hijackers but it’s also commonly found in adware. Chatzum works with Safari, Chrome as well as with Firefox. The ads Chatzum pushes on the user are not just annoying. They can be dangerous as they may prove to be an infection vector for much more severe threats like ransomware.
Possible symptoms that a system may have Chatzum running include browser redirects, ad pop-ups, new browser tabs or windows opening without the user’s action, etc. Removing Chatzum isn’t particularly difficult relative to more severe threats. If the user has a running security solution it’s likely that Chatzum would never be installed in the first place, as most security software will detect Chatzum and prevent the installation. Security solutions would also have no problem detecting and completely removing Chatzum after the fact.
