Rare malware outbreak hits some Apple apps

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple has pulled dozens of tainted apps from its App Store after the discovery of a rare malware outbreak.

The malicious software has been found in at least 39 iOS apps, many of them aimed at the Chinese market, though the apps have customers in the USA.

The initial discovery was made by Palo Alto Networks, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based computer security company.

The malicious code is called Xcode Ghost and came hidden in a fake version of Xcode, popular Apple software used to create applications.

Apple began taking down the compromised apps over the weekend. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

The counterfeit code was uploaded to servers in China, where developers unwittingly used it to create apps.

It was primarily designed to steal users' passwords. Some users were sent phishing messages that tried to trick them into disclosing more information.

Many of the affected apps have huge audiences in China, including the messaging app WeChat, a ride-hailing service called Didi Kuaidi and apps for buying train tickets in China and trading on the stock market.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in the USA on Tuesday for a state visit that will include discussions about cyber security. There's no reason to believe China was especially targeted by the hackers, said John Gunn with VASCO Data Security International in Chicago.

"It was opportunistic," Gunn said. "They figured out that there was a remote server that had the Xcode program on it that wasn't being monitored by Apple, and it happened to be in China."

There is little danger to U.S. iPhone users unless they use Chinese social media apps, he said.

Apple users historically haven't had to worry much about security because of Apple's closed software system, which vets every app sold in its App Store.

In September, malware appeared in some Apple apps, but it was  a problem only on phones whose operating system security features had been turned off, known as "jailbreaking."

New iPhone malware a problem, but only for jailbroken phones

Google's Android system is  more dangerous, specifically because it is an open system.

"You're always making that trade-off, the more freedom and flexibility you want, the more potential danger," said John Kindervag, a security analyst with Forrester Research.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Elizabeth Weise on Twitter: @eweise.