Apple makes a terrible mistake
Apple has always kept privacy and security in its top priority. The company also doesn’t compromise on the security of the app store and would never allow any malicious software to breach into the app store.
Last year, Apple asked the developers to submit their apps for scanning purposes. The plan was to do security checks on the apps to get aware of the condition of the apps. The process through which the apps went through was termed as “notarization“. This process used to scan the apps for any security problems and malicious content. If the app passes the test, it receives a green signal from Gatekeeper which is a built-in security software in Mac. But if the app fails the test, it gets blocked right away.
Apple’s malware problem is getting worse. Here are a few ways to protect yourself:
• Be cautious when installing programs like Adobe Flash Player or NewTab.
• Practice good password hygiene.
• Always be wary of free software — it's never really free. https://t.co/8vKzc9cmt7— Vox (@voxdotcom) February 14, 2020
Unfortunately, security researchers have found that there is an app which initially got notarized i.e it got the green signal to be able to operate on mac systems but later security researchers found that the app was malicious. Peter Dantini along with Patrick Wardle, have found that Adobe Flash installer is the medium through which this malicious content is getting transferred to mac systems.
New: Apple mistakenly approved a widely used malware — dubbed Shlayer — to run on Macs. After security researchers spotted the mistake, Apple revoked the developer's account and blocked the malware.https://t.co/Auf0eRKlNj
— Zack Whittaker (@zackwhittaker) August 31, 2020
Wardle admitted that it was Apple who failed to detect the malicious code. The code was submitted and then approved to integrate into the Mac system. Apple was thankful to the researchers for highlighting the issue and has confirmed that they have disabled the developer’s account.
