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Apple cybersecurity compromised: Many Chinese apps for iPhone found with malware
SILICON VALLEY — A wide variety of apps downloaded from Apple’s App Store, many of them Chinese, have been found to be infected with malware that could steal a user’s password and other personal information.
The specific impact on users of the U.S. company’s iPhones and iPads has yet to be gauged, but at least 39 apps have been confirmed to be infected. Some reports indicate malicious software has spread to as many as 3,000 apps.
Instant-messaging app WeChat, which has hundreds of millions of users, was among them. Weibo, known as the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, was also affected, as were taxi service, game, music and financial service apps.
A majority of the apps appear to be Chinese. Developers normally use the “Xcode” programming framework provided via Apple servers to create apps for Apple devices. But in China, many obtain it via an unofficial route, on a cloud computing service. A hacker apparently took advantage of this practice and distributed a counterfeit framework dubbed “XcodeGhost” via such e-commerce sites as Baidu and Amazon.com. The apps developed using the fake Xcode slipped through Apple’s screening process, reaching the market.
The apps may be used to steal passwords or other personal information, or to open a specific website that launches a cyberattack. Apple has already removed infected apps from the market. Consumers who suspect they have an affected app on their smartphone are encouraged to delete it and wait for a clean version to come out.
Apple has boasted of its strength in cybersecurity to set itself apart from Google and other rivals. But hackers still infiltrated its system. The company likely will strengthen its app screening but may not be able to block future incidents completely, with hackers targeting Apple users specifically.
Apple cybersecurity compromised: Many Chinese apps for iPhone found with malware
