The first major attack on the Apple app store has left iPhone users across the world vulnerable.
Security experts believe the malware has affected 39 iOS apps, breaching Apple’s app review process.
Although a large majority of the banking, stock trading and game apps infected are based in China, popular messaging service WeChat – which is popular amongst teens worldwide – is believed to have been attacked by the malware.
According to Apple, all apps at risk have now been removed from the store, with developers working to release clean versions as quickly as possible.
Palo Alto Networks Director of Threat Intelligence Ryan Olson said that this breach was a “pretty big deal” as the app store is now under threat.
He added:
“Developers are now a huge target.”
A spokeswoman for Apple later confirmed:
“We’ve removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software.”
