Appleis finding itself in hot waters every passing day when itcomes to security, and it was just a couple ofdays back when we got wind of the fact that the first ever compiler malwarehad made its way to the App Store, dubbed as XcodeGhost. Thankfully, Apple is well aware of the entire situation and has removed the malware infected apps immediately.

The way XcodeGhost works is actually pretty genius (in a bad way, of course); it tricks developers into downloading and creating apps using a modified version of Xcode, which in turn, slips in malware into the end result, which can either be a game or an app. Currently, Apple is working closely with developers, making sure that they are using the one and only legit version of Xcode, which is available to download using the Mac App Store. And considering that Xcode is available to download absolutely free directly from the Mac App Store, we encourage every developer, or an aspiring one, to take the official route when it comes to crafting apps or games for Apple's mobile or desktop platforms.

The infected apps which made their way to the App Store, included the likes of WeChat, which is a famous IM service boasting 600 million users worldwide, as well as CamCard, that uses an iOS device's camera to scan business cards and save digital copies of them. All in all, there were over 300apps on the App Store which Apple is now working to remove.

Since XcodeGhost is malware, it can haveaccess to a bunch of information on your device. But there's slightly good news for the time being as well, as there has been no reported event of data theft, just yet. And we really hope that things remain that way in the days and weeks to come as well.

It's absolutely worrying that despite having so many security measures in place before an app can go live for download on the App Store, a malware like XcodeGhost still managed to slip under Apple's radar. We're pretty certain that the Cupertino tech giant will revise its app review policy in the wake of this event, ensuring that such a thing does not happen again in the future.

Till then, we advise iOS users to download apps and games that come from reputable sources rather than shady download outlets.

You've been warned, folks!

SourceVia