It is uncertain whether Silver Sparrow is embedded inside malicious advertisements, pirated software, or bogus Adobe Flash Player updaters.
Red Canary has theorized that systems could have been infected through malicious search engine results that might have directed them to download the code.
[6] As of 23 February 2021, Internet security company Malwarebytes has discovered over 29,000 Macs worldwide running their anti-malware software to be infected with Silver Sparrow.
[7] Silver Sparrow infected Macs have been found in 153 countries as of February 17, with higher concentrations reported in the US, UK, Canada, France, and Germany, according to data from Malwarebytes.
[8] On 23 February 2021, a spokesperson of Apple Inc. stated that "there is no evidence to suggest the malware they identified has delivered a malicious payload to infected users."