Chinese Authorities Arrest Three Suspects Behind Wirelurker Mac And Ios Malware

Earlier this month, a new type of Mac- and iOS-based malware called “WireLurker” appeared online. Apple responded by blocking affected apps from launching on OS X, but another development was made in the case today.

According to ZDNet, Chinese authorities have arrested three suspects in connection with the malware and taken down the website that was found to be distributing it. The suspects are believed to be the creators of the software.

WireLurker was originally discovered by Palo Alto Networks just under two weeks ago. The software was distributed through infected third-party apps downloaded from unofficial sources, and would wait until an iOS device was plugged in, then infect that device.

Once the iOS device was infected, the software was capable of uploading details like contact information and text message contents to a remote server. It could also be remotely updated with new capabilities. Apple blocked infected Mac apps from running on OS X two days after it was discovered.