Everything you need to know about Apple App Store malware breach

As the news about the malware breach of the Apple App Store broke few days back, it created havoc in the technology industry.

On September 17, Palo Alto Networks posted an analysis report on XcodeGhost malware that “modifies Xcode IDE to infect Apple iOS apps”. This is the sixth malware that has made its way into the official App store after LBTM, InstaStock, FindAndCall, Jekyll and FakeTor.

According to security firm, the scale of the attack is like nothing Apple has experienced before.

"We believe XcodeGhost is a very harmful and dangerous malware that has bypassed Apple's code review and made unprecedented attacks on the iOS ecosystem," the firm said.

Following this, Apple listed 25 affected apps on its website. It included:

• WeChat
• DidiTravel
• 58 city
• High German Map
• Railroad
• Flush
• China Unicom mobile
• Defense radish 2
• Miracle warm
• My name MT2
• Angry Birds 2
• Baidu Music
• Ringtones lot
• NetEase cloud music
• Ocean Terminal
• Freedom of the War
• Hang Haiwang sail
• The kitchen
• Dark Dawn
• Love with you
• Himalayan
• Defense radish 1
• Flush HD
• Friction
• Chaos and Order of the Hero Battle Hymn

Palo Alto Networks, however, listed 39 infected iOS apps. There were also reports that the number of infected apps could be much higher than initially anticipated. According to FireEye, a security company, the figure could be as high as 4,000, BBC reported.

The Cupertino company immediately attended the problem and announced that the apps created with the counterfeit software have been removed from the App Store. Moreover, it is also blocking submissions of new apps that contain the malware from entering the App Store.

“We’re working closely with developers to get impacted apps back on the App Store as quickly as possible for customers to enjoy”, said Apple. “A list of the top 25 most popular apps impacted will be listed soon so users can easily verify if they have downloaded the latest versions of these apps. After the top 25 impacted apps, the number of impacted users drops significantly.”

Apart from the listed apps, Straitstimes lists a few things that Apple users can lookout for if they suspect their device is affected:

“1. Keep an eye out for suspicious activities or alerts on your iPhones or iPads. For instance, have there been any unsolicited or suspicious alerts such as those that send users to an unknown Web page or prompts that ask for passwords?

2. Watch what you download. If you've downloaded dodgy apps, delete them."