Analyzing the MonetaStealer macOS Threat
Summary:
MonetaStealer is a newly identified macOS information stealer that emerged in January 2026. The stealer was compiled using PyInstaller and is delivered as a deceptive Mach-O binary (Portfolio_Review.exe) masquerading as a Windows .exe file.
“This naming convention exploits a common misconception that Windows executables are harmless to Mac systems. Technically, MonetaStealer embeds its malicious logic within a compressed PyInstaller CArchive appended to the binary. Because the .pyc files remain bundled and compressed until execution, they bypass basic static file scanners that only inspect the surface-level Mach-O structure, “ note researchers at Iru in a new blog post.
For its part, MonetaStealer is designed to harvest high-value user data from infected systems. It targets Google Chrome to steal saved passwords, cookies, and browsing history, prioritizing financial and cryptocurrency sessions using keyword filtering, and retrieves Chrome’s encryption key via native macOS security commands. The stealer also scans common directories for cryptocurrency wallets, attempting to extract seed phrases and private keys using regex-based pattern matching, and explicitly targets MetaMask browser extensions.
Additional capabilities include stealing Wi-Fi credentials and Keychain entries, scraping clipboard contents, collecting SSH private keys, and scanning documents for financial data such as invoices and credit card numbers. Collected data is typically staged into a ZIP archive and exfiltrated via a Telegram bot infrastructure.
Security Officer Comments:
Researchers assess MonetaStealer to be in its early stages of development. The malware lacks persistence mechanisms, offers limited anti-analysis features, and heavily relies on AI-generated code. Despite its immaturity, researchers note that malware maintained a zero-detection rate at the time of discovery, highlighting how even less sophisticated malware can evade traditional security controls.
Suggested Corrections:
Threat actors use a variety of techniques, such as spoofed applications, malicious open-source or coding projects, or click-fix–style social engineering campaigns to gain initial access and deploy payloads like MonetaStealer. To prevent potential infection, users should only download applications from trusted sources, remain cautious of tasks or scripts sent by unknown individuals, and always verify commands before running them in a terminal.
Link(s):
https://the-sequence.com/monetastealer-threat
MonetaStealer is a newly identified macOS information stealer that emerged in January 2026. The stealer was compiled using PyInstaller and is delivered as a deceptive Mach-O binary (Portfolio_Review.exe) masquerading as a Windows .exe file.
“This naming convention exploits a common misconception that Windows executables are harmless to Mac systems. Technically, MonetaStealer embeds its malicious logic within a compressed PyInstaller CArchive appended to the binary. Because the .pyc files remain bundled and compressed until execution, they bypass basic static file scanners that only inspect the surface-level Mach-O structure, “ note researchers at Iru in a new blog post.
For its part, MonetaStealer is designed to harvest high-value user data from infected systems. It targets Google Chrome to steal saved passwords, cookies, and browsing history, prioritizing financial and cryptocurrency sessions using keyword filtering, and retrieves Chrome’s encryption key via native macOS security commands. The stealer also scans common directories for cryptocurrency wallets, attempting to extract seed phrases and private keys using regex-based pattern matching, and explicitly targets MetaMask browser extensions.
Additional capabilities include stealing Wi-Fi credentials and Keychain entries, scraping clipboard contents, collecting SSH private keys, and scanning documents for financial data such as invoices and credit card numbers. Collected data is typically staged into a ZIP archive and exfiltrated via a Telegram bot infrastructure.
Security Officer Comments:
Researchers assess MonetaStealer to be in its early stages of development. The malware lacks persistence mechanisms, offers limited anti-analysis features, and heavily relies on AI-generated code. Despite its immaturity, researchers note that malware maintained a zero-detection rate at the time of discovery, highlighting how even less sophisticated malware can evade traditional security controls.
Suggested Corrections:
Threat actors use a variety of techniques, such as spoofed applications, malicious open-source or coding projects, or click-fix–style social engineering campaigns to gain initial access and deploy payloads like MonetaStealer. To prevent potential infection, users should only download applications from trusted sources, remain cautious of tasks or scripts sent by unknown individuals, and always verify commands before running them in a terminal.
Link(s):
https://the-sequence.com/monetastealer-threat