Apple infected with malware in Chinese version of App store

Apple is taking action to eliminate any malicious code that managed to make its way into numerous apps commonly found on iPads and iPhones in China.

It has been said that this is the first attack of this size on the app store.

The cyber criminals developed a fake version of the Apple software that builds iOS apps, before enticing developers to download them.

Apps that were compiled with the tool enable the hackers to steal user data and then send it to servers under their control.

Cyber security company Palo Alto Networks has assessed the malware, known as XcodeGhost. It said that the hackers would be in a position to send bogus alerts to deceive users into handing over their personal data.

It also said that they could further read and modify data in the clipboards of infected devices, which would enable them to see login info copied and pasted into password management programmes.

Christine Monaghan, a spokeswoman for Apple said:

“We’ve removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software.

“We are working with the developers to make sure they’re using the proper version of Xcode to rebuild their apps.”

Apple is one of the leading tech giants, and for the corporation to be infected in this way shows that any company can be a victim of cyber crime. SMEs are also at risk and need to post cyber security jobs in order to ensure that they are doing all they can to prevent any attempts to access or modify their data.