Security firm detects nearly 30,000 Macs infected with malware

A new line of Apple computers containing a new chip is a target of a new malware called Silver Sparrow.

Security firm Red Canary detected nearly 30,000 infections discovered in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Germany.

According to CNN, the malware is specifically targeting computers with Apple's new M1 chips in it. Apple released the chips in November.

"Though we haven't observed Silver Sparrow delivering additional malicious payloads yet," said Tony Lambert, an analyst at Red Canary intelligence, wrote in a blog post. "Its forward-looking M1 chip compatibility, global reach, relatively high infection rate, and operational maturity suggest Silver Sparrow is a reasonably serious threat, uniquely positioned to deliver a potentially impactful payload at a moment's notice."

Security researchers have yet to observe what it does exactly, but they know it contains a self-destruct mechanism.