A new strain of malware was recently discovered and it appears to be targeting computers running on the Mac platform, making Apple computers a prime target for attacks.

For several weeks now, Apple users have reported that they received a link that redirects them into an infected website, which once opened will freeze their computers. Cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes first reported this new strain of malware.

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Based on Malwarebyte's report, the new malware falls into the "browlock" category as it only locks the browser used by the user and not their entire system. The firm claimed that early strains of this new "browlock" malware have been reported since November 2016.

This new malware targets Apple users who are browsing the Internet using the Safari software. Security experts said that Safari users are at high risk since simply visiting the infected website can execute the attack.

Once the malware is executed, it will check what version of OS X is installed on the user's computer. Once this is done, it will attempt to trigger a distributed denial-of-service attack by repeatedly opening draft emails until the computer can no longer execute the requests and just freeze.

Security experts said that the attack will continue to execute and open new emails until there are so many windows opened that the system runs out of memory and crashes, according to Venture Beat. The email's subject line tells the user that a virus is detected and to call the tech support number.

Some users reported that the malware sometimes opens up iTunes without the user prompting it. The message, as well as the fraudulent phone number, is then displayed on iTunes.

Apple is yet to comment or acknowledge the existence of the reported malware.

TagsMalware, Mac, apple, Apple Mac, Mac platform, Browlock, apple malware, mac malware, malware Mac