ALERT! Apple App Store Hit with Major Malware Attack ALERT!

Published On September 22, 2015 | By Tom Huskerson | News and Analysis

Apple_logo_blackClean up operations have begun as a result of what has been described as the worst attack ever on the Apple App Store.

Hackers infiltrated Apple’s normally super secure ecosystem by injecting malicious software into popular Chinese mobile apps. The infection could potentially affect hundreds of millions of Apple users. The incident is raising security concerns as Apple is preparing for the launch of its newest iPhone.

More than 300 Chinese apps are infected including popular instant messaging service WeChat and the Uber ride sharing competitor app Didi Kuaidi. The apps were infected with “XcodeGhost” malware. According to Chinese state media the infection could potentially allow access to private user data including passwords. 

Simply put “XcodeGhost” malware can steal data and possibly trick Apple users into surrendering their personally identifiable information. The creators of the malware were able to manipulate a tool used by legitimate Apple  iOS and OSX developers to create apps. Those developers, without knowing it, created their apps using this tampered-with tool resulting in the malware infection.

In a statement Apple said, “To protect our customers we’ve removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software and we are working with the developers to make sure they’re using the proper version of Apple software Xcode to rebuild their apps.”

News of the malware was released by US-based cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks. The company said the malware came from computer code uploaded to Baidu’s cloud file-sharing service used by Chinese app developers.

Affected apps on the U.S. market include;

LifeSmart

LifeSmart version 1.0.45 uninstall immediately.

Oplayer

OPlayer HDLite version 2.1.02 uninstall immediately
wechat

WeChat version 6.2.6 has been patched.

winzip-logo

WinZip version version 4.2  uninstall immediately

1000 walpaper

10,000+ Wall Papers for iOS 7, iOS 8, iPhone, iPod, iPad. version 3.6 uninstall immediately.

CamCard     

CamCard Business version 1.8.1 uninstall immediately.

 

Camscanner

CamScaner Free,CamScanner+ version 3.8.1 uninstall immediately,

Because these apps have come directly from the Apple app store it is unknown if anti-virus software will protect your device. It’s best to uninstall the apps immediately.

Apple has reported that is has removed the affected apps from the App Store.

 

 

Like this Article? Share it!

About The Author

Tom Huskerson Bio Born in Richmond Virginia Tom Huskerson is a military veteran who settled in California after his discharge. Tom attended Santa Barbara City College where he began his writing career as a campus reporter. He worked as an intern news reporter for the Santa Barbara News-Press writing feature stories before moving on to San Francisco. At San Francisco State University Tom studied broadcast communications and began to focus on the Internet. He completed his graduate thesis on Internet advertising. Tom was the first student to ever focus on the Internet as a graduate student at San Francisco State University. After graduation he went to work for Zona Research in California’s Silicone Valley. As a research associate Tom supported senior analyst writing on the latest developments in the Internet industry. During the dot com boom Tom worked for several web businesses as a market researcher and analyst. As a writer and researcher Tom has authored various technical works including a training program for Charles Schwab security. Other projects included professional presentations on workplace violence and hiring security contractors. Tom has also written both fiction and non-fiction works and blogging for a travel website. He has published two books of short stories and completed two novels. Tom is the owner of Scribe of Life Literature and EbonyCandle.com. Tom is not the chief editor for the OnTechStreet. com. A news and information blog that focuses on tech news for African-Americans. The blog is the result of his desire to inform the African American community of the dangers and benefits of the cyber age. In his blog Tom reports on information security, new and analysis, scams and hoaxes, legal happenings and various topics that arise from the age of information. Tom believes that technology is a necessary tool for black people and they should know what is happening. Tom writes believing that techno speak is for the professional and that valuable information can be communicated using plain language. As a result he has embraced the motto, Less Tech, More Knowledge.

Related Post

We Could All Be More More Cyber Smart!
Feds Making Money Moves
Apps Worth Mentioning : SheMatters
The Hottest Air Conditioning Scam

Comments are closed.