More than 350,000 Apple users in China affected by malware attack

Apple prides itself on iOS’s anti-malware security and iPhone users frequently use this to bash Android’s issues with malware, one which affects numerous Android users. That may all change, however, as researchers at Palo Alto Networks have discovered a new program, known as WireLurker, that may prove to be a major security issue for users of iOS and OS X.

According to Reuters, the malware campaign known as WireLurker specifically targets Apple users, both on mobile and desktop, and Palo Alto Networks claims that it’s on “the biggest in scale we have ever seen.” Fortunately, the malware seems to mainly target Chinese users.

“WireLurker is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in terms of Apple iOS and OS X malware,” said Ryan Olson, the intelligence director at Palo Alto Networks, as quoted by BBC. “The techniques in use suggest that bad actors are getting more sophisticated when it comes to exploiting some of the world’s best-known desktop and mobile platforms.”

“We are aware of malicious software available from a download site aimed at users in China, and we’ve blocked the identified apps to prevent them from launching,” said Apple in an official, but brief statement. “As always, we recommend that users download and install software from trusted sources.”

“They are still preparing for an eventual attack,” Palo Alto Networks director of threat intelligent Ryan Olson told The New York Times. “Even though this is the first time this is happening, it demonstrates to a lot of attackers that this is a method that can be used to crack through the hard shell that Apple has built around its iOS devices.”