February 2016

Threat: Pirated App Store client for iOS found on Apple’s App Store
Solution: Do not install software from unapproved third party app stores as the applications are riskware and some of the applications installed may contain malware.

URL: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2016/02/22/pirated-app-store-client-ios-found-apples-app-store/

An app called “Happy Daily English” available in the Appale App Store has been revealed to be a fully functional third party app store client. This new discovery shows some techniques that can be used to fool app reviewers and the programing language also allowed the application to be updated without approval from Apple.

The app developer also analyzed Apple’s proprietary protocols to implement some functionalities of Apple’s Xcode IDE to automatically generate free personal development certificates. So far the application hasn’t stolen any account information but has used it for analytical purposes. I recommend avoiding cracked software app stores as they are both illegal and often introduce vulnerabilities.

Threat: Skimmers Hijack ATM Network Cables
Solution: Don’t use machines that look like they may have been tampered with. ATM manufacturers need to enable encryption of all data from these machines.
URL: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/02/skimmers-hijack-atm-network-cables/

Many of us know someone that has had their account compromised. In a blink of an eye their bank account has been emptied by an attacker. In some of these cases you or your friends data may have been stolen using an ATM machine that has been modified to transmit your data like in the article linked to above. Instead of skimming the magnetic strip directly, like some attackers do, these attackers use a device to perform a man-in-the-middle attack.

Unfortunately, these machines normally only encrypt part of your data but leave things like your account number vulnerable. The attacker combines the use of camera for your PIN and they gain access to your account. The best way to avoid these forms of attacks is to not use a machine that looks like it may have been compromised anyway. In addition using indoor machines and not ones that are vulnerable to attack outdoors is advisable.