Researchers have unearthed new malware that turns a Mac into a remote spying platform that is able to intercept e-mail and instant-message communications. The malware uses internal microphones and cameras to spy on people in the vicinity of the OS X machine.

Backdoor.OSX.Morcut, as antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab is calling it, isn't circulating widely, but its complexity is the latest testament to the growing sophistication of malware targeting the Apple platform. It requires no administrative password to be installed, survives reboots, and targets a wide variety of applications including Skype, Adium, and MSN Messenger.

"In short, if this malware managed to infect your Mac computer it could learn an awful lot about you, and potentially steal information which could read your private messages and conversations, and open your e-mail and other online accounts," according to a separate analysis published Thursday by antivirus firm Sophos.

Morcut, which also goes by the moniker Crisis, was found by researchers from Mac antivirus provider Intego on Virus Total, a website researchers and end users use to share and catalog malicious code samples. So far, there are no reports of it circulating in the wild or being actively used in malware campaigns. It appears to trick users into installing it by masquerading as an Adobe Flash installer.

It joins the ranks of other recently discovered Mac software threats, including the rogue antivirus app Mac Defender, the Flashback backdoor that infected at least 650,000 machines, and two pieces of espionage malware targeting Chinese dissidents.

The latest reports of Morcut came as Apple nixed a variety of security flaws in its Safari browser.