Apple Removes Several Trend Micro Apps From Mac App Store For Stealing User Data

Merely a few short days afterward multiple cyber-security researchers independently confirmed that a Mac App Store malware chosen 'Adware Doctor' was collecting users' browsing history on the sly and sending them over to their servers in China, new reports suggest that a number of other programs on the platform may have also been indulging in similar nefarious activities.

Co-ordinate to research conducted by cyber-security researchers Thomas Reed of Malwarebytes, Patrick Wardle of Objective-Run into and @privacyis1st, several popular App Store apps not only access users' individual data against App Store guidelines, but have also been sending that info in zipped files to remote servers without user permission.

Apart from Adware Physician, the apps that have then far been identified as behaving deceptively, include Dr. Antivirus, Dr. Cleaner, Dr. Unarchiver, Dr. Cleaner, Dr. Antivirus and Open Whatsoever Files: RAR Support. What'due south even more disconcerting is that the apps aren't the work of some small-time fly-by-nighttime developer, but are believed to be distributed past well-known security software firm, Trend Micro.

As pointed out in the tweet beneath, complaints almost misbehaving Trend Micro apps were lodged on Malwarebytes forums as far dorsum as in 2017, when user PeterNopSled claimed that the Open Whatever Files: RAR Support app was hijacking browsing history and uploading it to their servers in a zip annal with the password 'novirus'.

#TredMicro was shady since Dec. A user called PeterNopSled reported to @Malwarebytes that an pinnacle AppStore app is exfiltrating user data: https://t.co/WRyu4SiOAX@AppleSupport @Apple @BleepinComputer @patrickwardle @thomasareed @TheHackersNews @ZDNet @MacRumors @9to5mac

— Privacy 1st (@privacyis1st) September viii, 2018

All the apps named in the report have since been removed from the Mac App Shop by Apple, and then Beebom was unable to independently ostend these claims, only 9to5Mac says it was able to detect and verify that at least 1 of the blacklisted apps, Dr. Unarchiver, did, indeed, tried to upload a file to a remote server after gaining permission to access the home directory.

While Mac and iPhone users oftentimes claim that their devices are safer than Windows PCs and Android smartphones, it is condign increasing evident that iOS and macOS are not every bit safe from malware as is often believed to be the case.