SafeUM
Home Blog Services Download Help About Recharge

Axarhöfði 14, 110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015
SafeUM
Blog
Services
Download
Help
About
Recharge
Menu
Archive
TOP Security!
12 Nov 2014

iOS vulnerability behind WireLurker Apple malware revealed

Researchers said they discovered and disclosed to Apple, the vulnerability exploited by the WireLurker malware, which targeted iOS mobile devices. via infections through USB connections to Mac OS X and Windows machines.

The vulnerability is called “Masque” and it affects iOS 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1, and 8.1.1 beta. Perhaps most interestingly, while initial reports suggested that the malware could only infect iOS user-devices via USB connection, researchers from FireEye said that the Masque bug is also exploitable by SMS text messages and email.

However, in order to infect via SMS or email, the attacker would have to compel a victim to follow a link leading to the malicious apps. Technically, Masque gives attackers the ability to replace legitimate iOS apps with malicious ones without notification. In part, the flaw relates to an iOS enterprise provisioning failure to double check the identity of a given app against its digital certificate when the developer does not upload the application to the App Store.

So in this case, iOS did not flag WireLurker’s certificates, which were legitimately signed – albeit using a different certificate – because the malware merely uploaded the application directly to the user’s phone from the infected desktop or laptop. This is why, unlike earlier iOS malware, WireLurker had the capacity to infect non-jailbroken devices. FireEye says that WireLurker is the only in the wild attack targeting the Masque vulnerability, but that it also appears to have been circulated among criminals. The Masque bug remains unpatched. To Apple’s credit, they moved fast to invalidate the certificates used by the malicious malware.

Shortly after the security firm Palo Alto Networks published their WireLurker findings last week, the group responsible for the malware shut their operation down. However, when it was still up and running, it aimed to infect Windows and Mac machines, where it would lie dormant until the infected user attached an iPhone or iPod to his or her personal computer.

When and if that occurred, the malware then searched the connected iOS device for the presence of a few popular applications. If present, WireLurker uninstalled those apps and replaced them with fake, trojanized replicas. It is not clear what data the malware ultimately sought. The only users that would have been impacted by WireLurker were users who had downloaded applications from a third-party application marketplace in China called Maiyadi. Palo Alto researchers said, 467 infected OS X apps have been found on Maiyadi and those apps have been downloaded more than 350,000 times as of Oct. 16, by more than 100,000 users.

“The need for anti-malware protection on Mac OS X devices cannot be overstated,” explained global research and analysis team in a Securelist report. “It’s not only that your Mac OS X machine can get infected, but WireLurker showed us how the infection can move from your Mac to your iPhone. The good news is: there are plenty of options to chose from out there, including our own Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac.”

Tags:
Apple Masque iOS WireLurker information leaks trojan
Source:
Kaspersky Daily
2108
Other NEWS
3 Jul 2020 safeum news imgage An encrypted messaging service has been infiltrated by police
4 May 2020 safeum news imgage Two-Factor Authentication ​What Is It and Why You Should Use It
12 Dec 2019 safeum news imgage Encryption is under threat - this is how it affects you
4 Nov 2019 safeum news imgage Should Big Decisions Be Based on Data or Your Intuition?
7 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought
4 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Hackers target Booking.com in criminal bid to steal hundreds of thousands from customers
1 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Operator of World's Top Internet Hub Sues German Spy Agency
30 May 2018 safeum news imgage US says North Korea behind malware attacks
29 May 2018 safeum news imgage Facebook and Google targeted as first GDPR complaints filed
25 May 2018 safeum news imgage A new reason to not buy these cheap Android devices
24 May 2018 safeum news imgage Flaws in smart pet devices, apps could come back to bite owners
23 May 2018 safeum news imgage Google sued for 'clandestine tracking' of 4.4m UK iPhone users' browsing data
21 May 2018 safeum news imgage LocationSmart reportedly leaked phone location data onto the web
18 May 2018 safeum news imgage The SEC created its own scammy ICO to teach investors a lesson
17 May 2018 safeum news imgage Thieves suck millions out of Mexican banks in transfer heist
All news
SafeUM
Confidential Terms of Use Our technologies Company
Follow us
Download
SafeUM © Safe Universal Messenger

Axarhöfði 14,
110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015