An iPhone malware known only as KeyRaider managed to steal more than 225,000 Apple account information. The hack mainly targeted iOS users in China.
According to Wired, the hack was discovered on Aug. 30 after a joint effort from security firm Palo Alto Networks along with a group of Chinese iPhone developers known only as Weiptech. The group's joint effort managed to reveal the culprit of the hack which is the KeyRaider malware, a software that steals sensitive user information through iTunes log-in credentials.
The malware was able to infiltrate an iPhone device by disguising itself as a form of tweak for the smartphone's operating system. Once installed, the malware will automatically intercept iTunes log-in credentials and send them to a remote server controlled by the hackers.
The hacked user data contains financial credentials such as credit card information used to pay for apps purchased on the Apple App Store. Security researchers who discovered the recent hacking attack on iPhone users claim that this is the single biggest theft of Apple accounts caused by a single malware.
Despite the massive number of affected iPhone devices, the hack was only isolated to units that were jailbroken. A jailbroken iPhone is a unit that can download, install and run apps that are not officially endorsed by the Apple App Store.
Security company Symantec told the BBC, "Third-party app stores often don't have the same controls and policies in place when it comes to the software they distribute and may be used to harbor malicious copies of well-known apps or other malware."