Facebook fixes its most prominent issue with memorialized profiles, Verizon fixes issues with millions of routers, Google’s laptop and tablet team isn’t dead yet, Roku finally bets on itself, and a whole lot more.
Exodus Finds a Home on iOS
Last week, a story broke about a new type of government malware found in the Google Play Store. The malware, called Exodus, completely hijacks an infected phone. And now it’s also on iOS.
Before you start to lose confidence in Apple’s normally-tight security practices, it’s worth highlighting that Exodus has only been found in third-party app stores (for now, at least). It did so by leveraging Apple’s Developer Enterprise program, which allows companies to distribute apps outside of the App Store. This is generally not a practice commonly associated with malware distribution, though it has been used for it in the past.
The app was found by the research team at Lookout Security and is said to be a lighter version of its Android counterpart, as it can’t take total control of a device. Still, it was able to pull contacts, audio recording, photos, videos, GPS location, and other device information. It was also capable of remotely capturing audio. That should still be enough to make you squirm in your chair a little bit.
Lookout shared its findings with Apple, which then revoked the affected certificates, thus stopping the spread of the malware. While malware isn’t something we commonly talk about on iOS, this serves as a good reminder that, while it’s less common than on Android, it can still be an issue.
The biggest takeaway here is that you should always be careful with what you download, especially if it’s coming from outside of your device’s official app store.
[Lookout via Engadget]
Apple News: The iPhone’s NFC Chip Unlocked for UK Users
Plus, Apple stops charging $99 to transfer data to a new Mac.
- Apple reached a deal with the UK government to open the NFC tech found in the iPhone to allow EU residents to scan their passports to apply for residency in the UK post-Brexit. [9to5Mac]
- Previously, if you bought a new Mac, Apple would charge $99 to transfer your data from the old machine to the new one. Now they do it for free. Yay. [Engadget]
- Apple hired Jaunt VR’s founder Arthur van Hoff to a Senior Architect Position. It’s still too early to speculate on what this hire means for Apple, but there’s a good chance it’s something to do with an AR headset. A good chance. [Variety]
- Macworld took the 21.5-inch Core i5 iMac for a spin and said it “makes a compelling case as an affordable pro-level machine.” Check it out if you’re on the fence about picking one up. [Macworld]
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Source : Daily News Roundup, 4/10/19: Spyware Isn’t Just for Android as Exodus Hits iOS Devices
