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The Art of Mac Malware: The Guide to Analyzing Malicious Software

Patrick Wardle · No Starch Press · 2022

Identifier: ISBN 978-1-7185-0194-2

Access and status

Cost

Free

Free to read or download at source. No account, no purchase.

Status

Current

Current as at the verification date below. Standards and tools both move — confirm at source before you rely on it.

What it is

Volume I of a series on macOS malware: infection and delivery methods, the persistence mechanisms available on macOS, and static and dynamic analysis of Mach-O binaries with the tooling that actually works on a Mac.

Who it is for, and when

The reference for anyone who has to say whether a Mac was compromised and how the code survived reboot. The persistence chapter alone is the checklist for a macOS compromise assessment: launch agents and daemons, login items, configuration profiles, and the less obvious hooks. The author publishes the full text free at taomm.org; the No Starch print edition is the paid form.

What it does not cover

Malware analysis, not general macOS forensics — it does not cover APFS structures, unified logging as a timeline source, FileVault handling, or mobile. macOS security controls move every annual release, so specific TCC, notarisation and SIP behaviour needs checking against the version in front of you.

Go to the source

Open at taomm.org (opens in a new tab)

https://taomm.org/

Details

Type
Book
Written for
AdvancedAdvanced
Author
Patrick Wardle
Publisher
No Starch Press
Year
2022
Identifier
ISBN 978-1-7185-0194-2
Topics
macos, malware, reverse-engineering, incident-response
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