BREAKING..Apple malware is lurking on ‘Angry Birds’
Published: Nov 6, 2014 2:36 p.m. ET
‘Sims 3,’ ‘Bejeweled 3,’ ‘Angry Birds’ among infected games in China
By JENNIFERBOOTON
REPORTER
marketwatch.com
 Getty Images
Apple malware slingshots onto devices through appsNEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Trojans may be lurking on some of the most popular games running on Apple Inc. devices.
“The Sims 3”, “Bejeweled 3”, “Angry Birds” and “NBA 2K13” are among the most downloaded of the apps on the China-based Maiyadi App Store infected with a new family of malware dubbed WireLurker, according to Palo Alto Networks PANW, +2.97% which reported the malware in a 30-page report late Wednesday.
Almost all of the 467 apps uploaded to the Maiyadi site during a two-week screening period, from April 30 to June 11, were infected, Palo Alto Networks said.
Those four games alone racked up 86,248 downloads from Maiyadi as of Oct. 16, led by “The Sims 3” with 42,110 downloads and “Angry Birds”, once the world’s most popular app, with 14,009. Here’s a list of the most popular infected games downloaded from Maiyadi:
| WireLurker infected apps | Number of downloads | | The Sims 3 | 42,100 | | International Snooker 2012 | 22,353 | | Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 | 20,800 | | Bejeweled 3 | 19,016 | | Angry Birds | 14,009 | | Spider 3 | 12,745 | | NBA 2K13 | 11,113 | | GRID | 10,820 | | Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | 8,065 | | Two Worlds II Games of the Year Edition | 6,451 | | Source: Palo Alto Networks |
Users in emerging markets, particularly China, continue to disregard warnings by Apple and security companies about the dangers of apps and other pirated materials from unlicensed sites.
Read: Apple can’t stop malware if users keep downloading from unlicensed sites
Apple on Thursday reiterated its plea for users to only download and install software from trusted sources. The Cupertino tech darling told MarketWatch that it blocked the identified apps to prevent them from launching on iOS and OX.
However, many users, lured for various reasons to third-party stores not affiliated with Apple’s App Store, continue to download outside of the app store anyway,which has made it difficult for Apple and rivals like Google Inc. GOOGL, -0.74% and Microsoft Corp. MSFT, +1.69% to keep track of pirated material that can be laced with malware.
Read: How Apple users can protect themselves from WireLurker
In this case, all the infected apps had several common traits, including “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme wallpapers and a red-and-white seal. But security experts say the only way to really stop the spread of malware is to stop downloading games from third-party sites altogether. |
