TestFlight is a tool that Apple uses to help developers distribute App betas before they are officially released on the App Store. However, the scammers used the platform to distribute “dangerous” apps without Apple’s knowledge. As reported by the security company Sophos, the campaign “CryptoRom“Has put into circulation malicious cryptocurrency applications for iOS and Android users. A nice and good scam, which has hit quite a few people in the last few days.
TestFlight – The tool used to scam iOS users
Bad news for iOS users. These days a group of criminals used TestFlight, an official tool from Apple, for create and distribute malicious apps to iPhone and iPad users. Thanks to this tool, developers can invite up to 10,000 testers to install beta versions of the Apps, but they do not go through the App Store review process, as the platform is designed to test pre-release software. As a result, Apple could not have known that the scammers were distributing malicious apps as any beta. Much less that iOS users were downloading them as if nothing had happened.
“Some of the victims who contacted us reported that they were tasked with installing what appeared to be BTCBOX, a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange app.” So she wrote Jagadeesh Chandraiah, a malware analyst at the security firm Sophos. “We also found fake sites posing as the cryptocurrency mining company BitFury, which was selling fake apps via TestFlight. We keep looking for other CryptoRom apps using the same approach ”. But that is not all. Apparently, scammers have also distributed malicious web applications by bypassing the App Store review process.
Since changing the way TestFlight works would affect developers, Apple points out that users can avoid scams by not downloading and installing any software from unknown sources, even if distributed via this tool. In addition, to ensure user safety, the company has a web page with tips on how to avoid phishing and other scams.