Apple withdraws some China apps after malware found
Apple says it pulled some apps from its App Store after discovering they contained malware planted in the marketplace using fake developer tools.
The malware called XcodeGhost alters tools for Xcode -- software used by developers to build iOS apps -- to infect App Store apps, according to Palo Alto Networks, a security company.
A recent blog post by Palo Alto says the code could be used to perform tasks such as phishing for user credentials. "XcodeGhost is a very harmful and dangerous malware that has bypassed Apple’s code review and made unprecedented attacks on the iOS ecosystem," says Claud Xiao of Palo Alto Networks.
However, Palo Alto Networks Director of Threat Intelligence Ryan Olson tells Reuters they uncovered no proof the malware resulted in harmful attacks on users. Meanwhile, Apple tells Reuters they are working with developers to check they are running the correct version of Xcode.
The malware was discovered in apps including social media service WeChat from Chinese company Tencent. A new version of the app has since been released.
Contributing: Associated Press
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.