Thousands Of iOS Apps Discovered Backdoor

Researchers have discovered thousands of apps for iOS an ad library malicious enables users to print and listen to steal sensitive information. The problem is in different versions of the saga mobi SDK. An ad library that developers add to their app in order to generate income.

Security firm FireEye now reports that some versions of the library have backdoor functionality. It is currently unclear whether that was added by the developers of mobi saga or attackers have done this. The backdoor to the ad library offers makes it possible to record audio, take screenshots, to retrieve location data, modify files and install additional apps. For this last action, however, is user interaction required.

In total FireEye discovered in the Apple App Store over 2800 apps with the potentially backdoored versions of the saga mobi SDK. In addition, the apps tried more than 900 times in order to achieve a adSage server that would have been able to activate the back by functionality. According to the security company this is especially a problem if attackers manage to hack the servers of adSage. In that case, they can activate the backdoor functionality. Apple was informed in October, but it is unclear whether the apps in question have also been removed from the App Store.