Malware on the iPhone

The unthinkable has happened - malware on the iPhone. An app called Find and Call in the App Store accesses your contacts stored on the phone and uploads them to a server on the internet. The contacts are then spammed with junk messages To be fair, this app is also in the Android store too, but it is more surprising to see it in Apple's store because of the strict rules and vetting procedure that you have to go through to get listed.

The app has now been removed from the stores, but it was available for a while and it's not clear how many people downloaded and installed it. Initially, it appeared to be a worm transmitted by SMS from phone to phone, but further investigation revealed it to be a rogue app. If all your contacts start receiving SMS messages supposedly from you, it may be because if this malware.

The SMS message your contacts receive contains a link to download the app and this is how it is spread. Apart from spamming your contacts, Find and Call doesn't do much else, although links on the app's website  prompt you to use PayPal to add money to your account, whatever that means. It sounds a bit dodgy.


Don't assume you are safe just because you use an iOS device. This shows that rogue software can get into Apple's App Store. Fortunately, malware in the Apple store is a lot rarer than in the Android store, so you are safer using iOS, but not 100% safe.

Kaspersky has the details here.