A new threat by the name of XcodeGhost is causing problems for over 500 million iOS users.
The new virus is believed to have already infected more than 50 different apps, including some highly used ones such as WeChat, according to iDigital Times. The majority of the apps that seem to have been infected by the XcodeGhost malware mainly consist of Chinese creations.
The XcodeGhost malware is being seen as potentially dangerous due to its capabilities that enable it to copy information, encrypt it and then even send it on its way to designated servers. Examples of bits of information the malware can gather include the name and type of the device that it has infected as well as its UUID and network configuration.
There's also a possibility that the XcodeGhost malware could somehow enable the managers of the virus to learn user passwords through clipboards and the usage of management tools, putting users' privacy and sensitive information even more at risk.
Apple has already begun to do some in-house cleaning of the App Store in order to mitigate and further manage the potentially disastrous impact of the XcodeGhost malware.
Apple has also said that they have begun to talk with the developers of the infected apps, seeking their assistance to rebuild the damaged ones so that a new version of them can be placed back on the App Store.
Despite the latest issues concerning the XcodeGhost malware, the iOS environment is still widely seen as the safer haven for apps, according to MacWorld UK.
This is recognized as the first major incident involving multiple apps being infected inside Apple's Apps Store, and previously, problems with apps had been mostly isolated. Apple is also known to conduct thorough reviews of the apps it allows into the App Store, although it appears something slipped through the process this time around.
