WireLurker Apple Products Are Under Attack By A New Vicious Malware

The malware was discovered by the cybersecurity
software maker Palo Alto Networks. WireLurker zeroes
in on OS X desktop software and Apple's iOS mobile
operating system.
A new family of malware has been
discovered, and it is targeting
Apple products. It is called
"WireLurker."
The malware was discovered by
the cybersecurity software maker
Palo Alto Networks. WireLurker
zeroes in on OS X desktop software
and Apple's iOS mobile operating
system.
What does it do?
WireLurker installs malicious
third-party apps on iPhones and
iPads.
Luckily for the West, the malware
seems to be targeting users in
China right now, reports The New
York Times. But that doesn't
mean it lacks the potential to be
a larger threat. In fact, as The
Times notes, Palo Alto Networks
says the malware is "the biggest
in scale we have ever seen."
It is called WireLurker because of
the malware's ability to sense
when you plug an iPhone or iPad
into your computer running OS X,
according to The Times. Once
that happens, it starts installing
malicious apps on your device.
Ryan Olson, director of threat
intelligence at Palo Alto networks
told The Times: "Even though
this is the first time this is
happening, it demonstrates to a
lot of attackers that this is a
method that can be used to crack
through the hard shell that Apple
has built around its iOS devices.”
In a statement, Apple said: "We
are aware of malicious software
available from a download site
aimed at users in China, and we’ve
blocked the identified apps to
prevent them from launching. As
always, we recommend that users
download and install software from
trusted sources.