A recent report has identified a bug in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iOS, which makes it vulnerable to cyber attacks. Identified bug gives hackers access to sensitive information and personal details of the users. The iPhone maker is working to fix the bug and heighten the security of its devices.
The details of vulnerability came forward when FireEye Inc (NASDAQ:FEYE) posted a blog on Monday mentioning that the attack starts with a malicious software installation. Hackers use email, web links, and text message to spread the installation link and after installation, the bug is proficient enough to replace genuine apps installed from Apple store with malicious applications.
Researchers at FireEye Inc (NASDAQ:FEYE) are calling it “Masque Attack” and it targets iOS 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, 8.1, and 8.1.1 beta versions. The security company informed Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) about this attack on July 26.
According to the security company,
“Masque Attacks can replace authentic apps such as banking and email apps, using attacker’s malware through the Internet. That means the attacker can steal user’s banking credentials by replacing an authentic banking app with an malware that has identical UI.”
Further, the security company provided guidelines for security including avoiding third-party apps or paying attention to “Untrusted App Developer” notification.
This is the second time in few weeks when a malware is identified to target iOS devices. Earlier, WireLurker, another malware, was infecting iOS devices in China and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) confirmed to neutralize the threat.
Earlier, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s messaging apps came out to be more secure than BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s messaging applications. In a scorecard prepared by The Electronic Frontier Foundation for secure messaging apps, Apple Inc.’s iMessage and FaceTime scored higher against BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s Messenger and Protected. This has been a relief for the iPhone maker, which is troubled by recent security threats concerning the security of its devices.
This article has been written by Prakash Pandey.
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