Trojan:OSX/Shlayer

Classification

Category :

Malware

Type :

Trojan

Platform :

OSX

Aliases :

Trojan:OSX/Shlayer.[variant]

Summary

Trojan:OSX/Shlayer identifies a file that appears to be an update for a popular media player, but when launched will instead run scripts that download other unwanted programs onto the computer.

Removal

The F-Secure security product will automatically remove the file.

A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:

Check for the latest database updates

First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.
Submit a sample

After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.

Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.
Exclude a file from further scanning

If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.

Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.

Technical Details

Variants of the Shlayer trojan have been reported on file sharing sites, though they may also be found on other sites. The Shlayer files are typically disguised as updates for Adobe Flash Player.

If the disguised file is launched by an unsuspecting user, it will instead run a shell script, or a series of shell scripts, to silently download other programs onto the computer.

The download programs are typically considered either Potentially Unwanted applications (PUA) or Unwanted Applications (UA). One example of a PUA downloaded by Shlayer trojans is: