A dodgy spam app has been discovered on Apple iOS App Store, besmirching Apple's reputation for providing a strictly malware-free app environment.
The malicious app was called 'Find and Call', and was identified by antivirus bods at Kaspersky, Forbes reports. The app, which was present on both the iOS and Google Play app shops, secretly uploads your contacts to a remote server.
Russian-language messages that appear to be from you are then sent out to every phone number and email address in your contacts book, advertising the app itself and providing a download link.
Apple has removed the spam-flavoured application, telling the Loop, "The Find and Call app has been removed from the App Store due to its unauthorised use of users' Address Book data, a violation of App Store guidelines."
Google has also locked out the errant software from its own Play store. Kaspersky has translated a message from the creators of the odious app, who claim that the "System is in process of beta-testing," and say the "bug" is in the process of being fixed. Not an entirely convincing argument, I must say.
The unfortunate app attack follows an App Store glitch that saw non-intact apps being downloaded and crashing when launched.
It's good that the spam app has been removed, but of course it should never have been allowed onto the App Store in the first place. Apple's strict approval processes are supposed to prevent dodgy software from creeping in -- that's supposed to be one of the benefits of buying into Apple's platform.
What do you think of Apple's App Store? Do you prefer the freedom of Google Play, or do you feel more secure with Apple bods checking submissions before making them available for download? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 8
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anonymous 6 July, 2012 11:21
Hmm, sounds like a hole in the walled-garden!
People say that Google Play is riddled with malware, personally I've not seen any as I am particularly careful with what I download. This could ultimately be the problem with promoting a guaranteed to be secure and malware free environment as Apple have done with the iDevices and OSX.
Time for people to have their eyes opened and be forced to realised that no platform is 100% safe or secure and that the same precautions need to be taken for ANY device they have PC/Mac/Android/iOS, they are all vulnerable.
shauney3 6 July, 2012 12:04
well said
anonymous 6 July, 2012 12:23
Its easy to criticise apple but having written software for years and worked on updating old code to remove bugs, its not easy to spot code doing something it shouldnt
anonymous 6 July, 2012 12:29
Needless to say this will be jumped on Apple & Mac haters to say that it's not secure. Two points though. Firstly that the above poster being correct that no system can be completely secure, so the question is which is the MOST secure? That is still Apple. Secondly let's not get fooled by companies like Kaspersky trying to persuade us we need them. Good software design is resilient and can combat malware. This applies to both Apple AND Microsoft. Both are good enough on this front without buying into a virus industry I often suspect creates virus's to give themselves business.
So the real story is be careful what you download, and make sure to back up your system regularly. Something that both Microsoft and Apple do for you if you set them up right.
Apple is still safer than Microsoft but to be fair to Microsoft both are equally easy to make as secure as each other. The difference is that if your Apple product gets messed up; it's DEFINITELY something you did.
echoofthefuture 6 July, 2012 12:39
Firstly this is not the first app that has actually done something like this before.
Apple's approval process is not infallible, it involves human processes and so is naturally open to mistakes however having some sort of review process or quality control is better than none at all.
The good thing is that Apple, Google and Windows can all remotely disable malicious apps as soon as they are discovered for all users even if the users are not aware that an app they've downloaded is malicious.
This is quite different from the situation that occurs on desktop class OSes where it's up to the user to first realise they have some malicious software present and then it's up to them to remove or disable it.
Apple have already addressed this particular type of issue in iOS 6 by isolating personal information like contacts. Apps now have to gain or be given explicit permission to access contact information.
anonymous 6 July, 2012 12:54
Nothing is completely safe, that's why I believe in an education user base. It's like phising scams, if someone is gullible enough to fill out the questionable form and submit it, they're pretty much asking to be a victim.
anonymous 7 July, 2012 01:31
I wonder what negative impact this will have on other apps that have similar names. Hopefully apps like ReadAndCall and others which are good don't receive unwarranted negative reactions. Many developers work hard to produce good Apps and one bad "apple" can ruin countless hours of good work.
anonymous 7 July, 2012 09:54
Personally, I'm a Andriod guy, I do also like apple (I have an iPad).
Now that that is out of the way, i do agree no platform is safe! but even though I do not like the OS, BlackBerry is safest. & anyone who says otherwise is just being up their own, well you know the rest.
If you do disagree, ask yourself what companies use BlackBerry, including the countless governments and secret agencies that use the OS because it is the most secure.
Although, for anyone else who isn't James Bond, it's up to you what you pick, I know for me its the S Galaxy S3, but for some it's the iPhone 4s