Search results for: ios malware
New WireLurker malware infects Mac OS X and iOS
Posted on November 6th, 2014 at 10:31 AM EDT
Palo Alto Networks announced yesterday their discovery of new malware for Mac OS X, which they are calling WireLurker. This malware has been distributed in 467 known pirated apps distributed in China’s Maiyadi App Store (not affiliated with Apple’s Mac App Store). To make matters worse, this malware is known to infect iOS devices that are connected to infected Macs, even if those iOS devices have not been jailbroken!
Read the rest of this entry »
Windows malware found in iOS app!
Posted on July 24th, 2012 at 11:53 AM EDT
For the first time, an iOS app has just been discovered to be infected with Windows malware! The app in question is Instaquotes-Quotes for Cards Instagram, and it has been flagged as malware by three different Mac anti-virus programs, including ClamXav. Although this malware cannot affect either Macs or iOS devices, and it’s not likely to be able to infect even a Windows user based on how it’s attached to the file, this app should definitely be avoided until the issue is fixed.
Read the rest of this entry »
This post is more than 30 days old and has been locked. No further comments are allowed.
XcodeGhost malware infiltrates App Store
Posted on September 21st, 2015 at 2:34 PM EDT
Late last week, Claud Xiao, a researcher at Palo Alto Networks, announced the discovery of new malware that he calls XcodeGhost. As the story has developed over the weekend, it turns out that this malware has infected at least 39 known iOS apps as of early this morning, all of which made it into the App Store.
Read the full story on Malwarebytes Unpacked.
This post is more than 30 days old and has been locked. No further comments are allowed.
A look back at the malware of 2014
Posted on January 2nd, 2015 at 4:34 PM EDT
As most Mac users know, Macs don’t get malware. Unfortunately, what most Mac users know on this topic is actually wrong! There actually is Mac malware out there, there’s just a lot less than there is for Windows. Fortunately, in 2014, new malware appearances have dropped since 2013.
Read the rest of this entry »
Major iOS insecurity!
Posted on November 11th, 2014 at 7:32 AM EDT
I don’t usually write about iOS security issues here, because, well, there aren’t any! Okay, maybe iOS isn’t really all that rosy, but it’s been pretty secure overall. Malware has existed for iOS for some time, but required jailbreaking the device (ie, hacking it to remove security and allow apps to be installed from sources other than the App Store). Unfortunately, that changed yesterday, as FireEye has announced a method they are calling the “Masque Attack” that can be used to install malware on iOS devices that have not been jailbroken.
Read the rest of this entry »
Malware Dictionary
Posted on August 27th, 2013 at 11:11 AM EDT
The following is (hopefully) a fairly comprehensive dictionary of all malware-related terms. I have probably omitted something, and will revise this dictionary over time. If you feel that I have omitted something, or have gotten something wrong, please feel free to e-mail me to discuss it.
Read the rest of this entry »
Contact Me
Posted on February 22nd, 2013 at 12:06 PM EDT
I welcome all feedback from my readers, but I don’t always have time to respond personally to the volume of messages I receive. So, before you send an e-mail, let’s look at some options, to be sure you’re sending it to the right place!
If you wish to comment on or discuss a recent post on my blog, and you aren’t concerned with keeping your message private, simply add a comment at the end of the post. I will be alerted to your comment and will respond, if appropriate. If I’m too slow to answer a question, you may find it answered by another reader.
For questions about Mac or iOS malware or adware, you can ask on the Malwarebytes Malware Removal Help for Mac forum.
If you have a general Mac or iOS technical support question, not related to security or AdwareMedic, I may not always have time to answer.
If your question involves systems other than the Mac (or iOS), such as Windows or Android, I usually am not the right person to ask. You would be better off seeking out a forum dedicated to such topics. Unfortunately, I can’t even recommend one to you, as I have no personal experience with any of them!
If your question or comment involves things like Mac security, AdwareMedic or this site, please contact me via e-mail at thomas@thesafemac.com. I am generally quick to respond to any security-related questions or comments!
Please be aware: if your e-mail address requires that I take some special action to be put on a whitelist in order to send you a message, I will not take that action. You will need to disable the whitelist feature or e-mail me from a different address in order to receive a response.
Time to boycott SourceForge?
Posted on May 30th, 2015 at 9:35 AM EDT
On Wednesday, ArsTechnica reported that the Windows version of the open-source GIMP image editing app hosted on SourceForge has been “seized” by SourceForge and used for distributing adware. This is a troubling development, but not exactly surprising for those who have been following the antics of SourceForge lately. Is it time to boycott SourceForge, as is already recommended for sites like Download.com and Softonic?
Read the rest of this entry »
Avast detects RSS feed as WireLurker
Posted on November 7th, 2014 at 1:58 PM EDT
It’s not easy running a site like The Safe Mac. You get threatened with lawsuits [1], attacked by the bad guys [1, 2] and misidentified as malicious by security companies [1]. Headaches galore! And now, Avast is saying that this site’s RSS feed is the WireLurker malware.
Read the rest of this entry »
How the movie industry is causing adware problems
Posted on September 6th, 2014 at 3:37 PM EDT
Before you think I’m saying something I’m not, let me clarify: the movie industry is not deliberately infecting people with adware. Nonetheless, it is their policies that are giving power to the scams that hackers use to infect people with adware… and actual malware, for that matter. This may seem like a stretch, but let’s look at a real-world example that illustrates why this is true.
Read the rest of this entry »