Subj : This expert thinks he has found some major security flaws with th
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Mon Aug 19 2024 18:15:06

This expert thinks he has found some major security flaws with the MacOS app 
store

Date:
Mon, 19 Aug 2024 17:08:00 +0000

Description:
Researcher finds multiple apps pretending to come from Google and Adobe on 
the Mac app store.

FULL STORY
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Mac App Store users are at risk of fraud, as scammers find a way to trick the 
platform into accepting fake apps, an expert has warned. 

The fake apps, pretending to replace some of the worlds most popular 
productivity solutions , are offered for sale on the repository, according to 
a report by security researcher Alex Kleber. 

In his analysis, Kleber claims to have spotted five active Mac App Store 
accounts, all owned by a single actor, and all distributing fake apps. False 
pretenses 

These accounts offer apps such as Work for Google Docs and Drive, Calendar 
for Google Calendar, Switcher for Chrome or Safari, PDF Editor for Adobe 
Acrobat, and similar - all of which look as if theyre coming from official 
Google or Adobe profiles. The scammers even used original Google and Adobe 
icons for their solutions, in order to boost the apps legitimacy. 

Kleber says he has been tracking the fraudster for years, and even reported 
them to Apple back in 2022, when the company removed seven of their accounts. 

Despite this, the developer managed to return and continue the same 
activities, spamming multiple developer accounts and using the same 
techniques to scam MacOS App Store users, he said. Apparently, they are using 
multiple accounts to minimize the chances of all of the fraudulent apps being 
removed in one fell swoop. 

Techniques are employed to deceive users into purchasing applications under 
the false pretense that they are the original ones, Kleber concluded. Some of 
the apps are designed so that the apps cant even be closed unless the user 
purchases a subscription. 

Briefly discussing how its even possible for such apps to make it into the 
repository, the researcher said the campaign demonstrates how easy it can be 
to bypass the Apple Review team. 

TechRadar Pro has reached out to Apple for comments and will update the 
article when we hear back. More from TechRadar Pro Watch out for these fake 
messaging apps on Android  they could be spying on you Here's a list of the 
best firewall software around today These are the best endpoint security 
tools right now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/this-expert-thinks-he-has-found-some-ma
jor-security-flaws-with-the-macos-app-store


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