WireLurker Malware Targets iPhones Through OS X

When it comes to making the choice between OS X and Windows, the proponents and supporters of the former tend to trumpet the fact that security issues are a whole lot less, and viruses practically not an issue to worry about, as opposed to Microsoft’s Windows platform (and in the years of yore, DOS). So too, has this argument carried on to the world of mobile operating systems. Well, apparently not all is rosy and well for iPhone owners, as a U.S. security firm discovered that iPhone and iPad users in China are faced with the possibility of a new virus entering their mobile devices, with the proverbial door opening up through OS X-powered desktops and laptops.

This alleged virus would make the jump from Mac OS X over to the iOS-powered device through a USB cable, according to Palo Alto Networks. Hence, it is not surprising to hear that the security firm’s engineers has called the virus ‘WireLurker.’

Palo Alto Networks’ Claud Xiao shared, “WireLurker monitors any iOS device connected via USB with an infected OS X computer and installs downloaded third-party applications or automatically generated malicious applications onto the device, regardless of whether it is jailbroken.”

While this kind of threat is not all that new, it marks one of the very first times in which it has been utilized in order to target Apple machines, not to mention affecting non-jailbroken devices to boot.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones
Tags: iPhone, Malware, OS X