MALWARE FAMILY

OceanLotus

Internal ID: osx.oceanlotus

aliases

Last seen:Mar 17, 2026

Intelligence Profile

According to PcRisk, Research shows that the OceanLotus 'backdoor' targets MacOS computers. Cyber criminals behind this backdoor have already used this malware to attack human rights and media organizations, some research institutes, and maritime construction companies.

The OceanLotus backdoor is distributed via a fake Adobe Flash Player installer and a malicious Word document (it is likely that threat authors distribute the document via malspam emails).

Threat Analysis

OceanLotus is a malware family tracked by threat intelligence researchers and catalogued in the Malpedia dataset. It represents a distinct malicious software lineage with identifiable code characteristics, behaviors, and victimology.

External References

→https://about.fb.com/news/2020/12/taking-action-against-hackers-in-bangladesh-and-vietnam/

→https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/new-macos-backdoor-linked-to-oceanlotus-found/

→https://bluecyber.hashnode.dev/apt32-malware-an-in-depth-analysis

→https://brandefense.io/blog/apt-groups/ocean-lotus-apt-group/

→https://cocomelonc.github.io/malware/2025/01/19/malware-tricks-44.html

→https://cocomelonc.github.io/malware/2025/02/24/malware-tricks-45.html

→https://github.com/AmnestyTech/investigations/tree/master/2021-02-24_vietnam

→https://github.com/microsoft/Microsoft-365-Defender-Hunting-Queries

→https://labs.sentinelone.com/apt32-multi-stage-macos-trojan-innovates-on-crimeware-scripting-technique/

→https://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2017/06/unit42-new-improved-macos-backdoor-oceanlotus/

Quick Facts

TypeMalware Family

Aliases1

Also Known As

osx.oceanlotus

Research Links

MITRE ATT&CK VirusTotal Google (news) Twitter/X search

Data sourced from Malpedia, Ransomware.live, RansomLook, and CTIWATCH OSINT collection. Actor attribution is based on available intelligence and may be incomplete.

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