The Biggest Apple iPhone Malware Hack Ever
Ever since the first iPhone released 8 years back, it has been surprisingly secure. There have been very few instances of malware and hacks on these devices, especially in comparison to the more open and less secure Android platform. From time to time though, a hack on iPhones comes along which gives millions of users cause to sit up and take notice and wonder if they should be doing more to protect their smartphone and data.
Several in-built security features on Apple iPhones make them relatively harder to crack, but problems arise when people start jailbreaking these devices. ‘Jailbreaking’ is a term used to describe the process of removing hardware restrictions from iPhones thanks to various software exploits. This process not only voids the warranty of an iPhone, but leaves it vulnerable to attackers and other security holes.
What the Latest Hack Does
Such an incident has come to light in the last few hours and apparently this hack has left about 225,000 iPhones around the world vulnerable. Some Chinese iPhone developers and security researchers have discovered that almost a quarter of a million devices are leaking out their Apple iTunes’ passwords to malicious third-party vendors. This malware, called ‘KeyRaider’, only afflicts jailbroken iPhones.
Once the malware has been installed on a vulnerable device, it hides itself within several code packages and then starts tweaking the iPhone’s operating system in different ways. It slowly intercepts login information of the user and sends it out to remote servers. Once they gain access to the iTunes accounts, attackers can also hijack the payment information online and install paid apps on other iOS devices.
As a result this attack is being called “the largest known Apple account theft caused by malware”.
Only Jailbroken iPhones are Vulnerable
However, it has been found that all these 225,000 devices have been jailbroken. This process allowed these users to install apps from outside the Apple App Store. A close examination of the email addresses that were intercepted revealed that a majority of these victims were in fact Chinese.
Should iPhone Users be Worried?
The simple answer is that regular iPhone users should not be worried about the KeyRaider hack. This afflicts jailbroken devices only, so if you have jailbroken your iPhone then you may need to take some precautionary measures. Moreover, jailbroken devices have several other malware threats to worry about as well.
As of now, the KeyRaider malware only steals iTunes account information. But there is a distinct possibility that in the future, this malware can be used to lock iPhones and demand a ransom payment to unlock them. Additionally, it is recommended that people who have jailbroken their iPhones revert back to Apple’s relative secure ecosystem.
It also pays to be aware about several iPhone security tips and avoid actions that leave your iPhone vulnerable to malware threats and hacks.
41 Comments
Thanks,that presently there is no chance of private data being compromised, as I do not share photos in internet and I use original software in my iphone and it is not jailbroken. Moreover, I use several levels of password in my phone. I do not share photos in icloud and lastly I do not taken any nude shots and never had any intention of doing such things in future. I think one of the foremost thing needed for iphone user is that do not jail break your iphone, always use applications from iphone store and always update your phone with iphone server downloaded software, so that the security softwares of iphone should not be compromised. iphone uses a Linux based software which is not difficult but even impossible to break. So, insist on original iphone and original software, then you will be remain saved for all time.
Indrajit Deb, application developer.
Thanks for the feedback and information Indrajit. We appreciate it.
this is very good . i want to join with it
sir,
thank you for your guidance actually I ama victim of it as I have a cydia app on it.
Now the question is that how can I return to normal and safe phone?
hoping for a god reply and help
Hi,
You will need to refer to some third-party sites or YouTube videos on how to reverse this process. You can refer to the same place from where you got instructions to carry out this process formerly.
Regards.
very good
Quick Heal news alert on such malware is very helpful to users as of how to safe guard their mobiles/computers etc and use it prudently.
Thank you for the alert!
Thanks for very useful information.
i know this information
THIS IS BAD PRODCAT
Hi Aniket,
Can we request you to share the exact details about the issue you are facing? This will allow us to give you a solution for this.
Best regards.
bahoot khoob.
very fun.
Really it’s trying to update us about securities..
thanks for the useful information
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I HAVE BLACKBERRY.
THANKS FOR ALERT……APPPPPLLLEEEE BE AWARE
This info is very useful for apple users.Quick Heal news alert on such malware is very helpful to users as of how to safe guard their mobiles/computers etc and use it prudently. thaanku for alert!!
I like it
I want to use it.
Thanks for this updated information..
Thankssss for this Information …
yes…Thanks to quick heal for the news. I should be more careful onwards these news to keep my devices safe. Please keep us updated towards such news.
thanks to quickheal for sharing such an important information. I found it very useful
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bahut badiya
Its very useful to us
Hey man you can’t blam to jailbreak coz the user install the unnecessary and unknown sources install and avoid his security
2nd thig the jailbreak is not a malware the tweak is malware so you know what you install
3rd most things is that why quick heal not properly full protection on iOS devices again malware and jailbreak also?????
Hi,
We are not blaming the process of jailbreaking. We are simply reporting a news incident where jailbroken devices have been infected with malware. Nowhere are we suggesting that jailbreaking is similar to malware. We cannot guarantee protection against jailbroken iOS devices or rooted Android devices. These processes change the hardware and software configurations of these devices and differ from case to case.
Best regards.
its a good
Its a knowledge updatation.
thanks
very fine
Its very useful since am Iphone user
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Thanks
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SUPERB BOSS,INFORMATION~ SHASHI
REally nice information !!