Published on 23 Sept 2015, Michael reports that “The largest incident of iOS malware found in the Apple App Store has grown exponentially, as researchers find more than 4,000 apps infected. And the attackers may have been inspired by CIA techniques.” He goes on to introduce some familiar players with an ominous overtone, “The iOS malware, found to be used to collect information and run phishing schemes, may have a connection to the CIA. A report by The Intercept in March 2015 noted that documents leaked by Edward Snowden claim CIA researchers detailed a way to manipulate Xcode in order to inject malware into apps without the developer knowing. Additional reports from March 2014 — also based on leaked Snowden documents — claimed the National Security Agency infiltrated Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.”
Heller’s article is a must read for those wanting to know a little more behind the scenes. My iPhone just got updated again and i suspect some type of fix was included or at least some detection software to disable anything i might have downloaded from the store. After looking through the list, other than the PDF converter, i think my Apple products are clean (we can only hope!).
Link to Michael Heller’s article on possible background of Xcode hacks.