Apple gets iOS back on track after hack

September 21st, 2015, 21:10 Posted By: wraggster

If you’ve been having trouble accessing Apple’s App Store it’s because the tech giant has faced a series of major attacks.
The firm has revealed it is cleaning up its iOS App Store to help remove malicious iPhone and iPad programs as part of the first large scale attack on the tech vendor.
Apple identified the malware after various cyber security companies found a malicious program dubbed XcodeGhost, which was embedded in hundreds of legitimate apps.
The attackers created a counterfeit version of the Apple’s iOS software that builds apps, which they convinced developers to download.
When apps are designed using this phony tool, hackers are able to steal data about users and send it to their servers.
This hack is no doubt very concerning for Apple customers, for example cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks reviewed the malware and found that these hackers could also send fake alerts to infected devices, which could trick users into revealing personal data.
David Emm, principle security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said: "While the majority of mobile malware targets victims running Android, this incident highlights the fact that iOS isn’t immune to malware.
"Apple’s ‘walled garden’ approach does make it harder for cybercriminals to compromise apps, but if something does slip through the net, as in this case, there’s no protection available because Apple doesn’t provide third-party developers with the means to develop anti-malware protection for iOS."
Some of the apps that have been affected include WeChat, NetEase’s music downloading app and an app similar to taxi service Uber called Didi Kuaidi.
Apple has since revealed that all apps created using the software have been removed from the App Store. In addition, Palo Alto Networks also revealed that the malware was unable to uncover any data, but this certainly proves that developers are a huge target.
This breach will of course make many customers feel uneasy, especially with the new iPhone 6S launch around the corner.
Similarly, Amazon has been suffering from a tech malfunction with its Amazon Web Services this week.
A server issue in Virginia is reportedly affecting products and services for consumers, including Netflix, Product Hunt, Medium, Pcoket, Viber Amazon Echo and more.
This glitch also affected some customers using smart home products through Amazon Web Services; while others were not able to watch their favourite episode of Breaking Bad on Netflix.
Most services have returned to normal, but it may take some before everything is running normally again.

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