Usually with official app stores like iTunes or Google Play, trying to sneak malware in can be difficult either due to systems put in place that can automatically detect malware, or because the review process is manual in which malware will be detected by the person(s) conducting the review.
Unfortunately sometimes things do slip past such procedures, as is the case over in China as it has been detected that some apps with malware have made it onto the iTunes App Store. In turn, the malware has also exposed a rare vulnerability on Apple’s platform, at least that’s what researchers are claiming.
These infected apps will be able to transmit data about the device they’re installed on and also prompt fake alerts, steal passwords, and read/write information on the user’s clipboard. One of the apps infected is actually WeChat, one of China’s largest messaging apps whose growth appears to have the potential to beat out WhatsApp.
So how does a reputable app like WeChat get infected to begin with? It turns out that developers were tricked into using a compromised version of Apple’s developer tool kit, thus leading the malware to worm its way into the app without the developers knowing, according to researchers at Alibaba Mobile Security.
It has been speculated that maybe the Chinese government might be behind the malware, but at the moment there isn’t enough information to determine that.
Filed in . Read more about Apps, China, Malware and Security.