Suddenly, your usual safe Apps may be hiding a secret. These are not your average app lies, but a serious threat. You might expect to get a nasty surprise when you download something from some obscure website, but this is different.  Apple's App Store had an unexpected and unwanted visit from malware.  We are talking about a well-known Trojan Horse here. Some apps have been found to have a hidden malicious software development kit.  This is something you wouldn't think you'd encounter on a platform of Apple's standards.

It’s not the typical harmful code that you’re used to hearing about.  Instead, we have a sophisticated tool capable of taking photos and scanning documents.  It’s actually quite clever.  The malicious software development kit harnesses Optical Character Recognition, ORC, to extract text from images. From these stolen images,  it searches for very specific info to find recovery phrases.  Once it’s got its hands on it, it can give criminals easy access to your crypto wallets.

This malicious software development kit is called SparkCat, and it's a new player in the game. The first glimpse into this threat came when researchers discovered it in a food delivery app named ComeCome.  Come come is used in the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.  The problem is that this isn't an isolated incident.  This malicious software development kit has made its way into 242, 000 downloads on Google Play, and some of these apps are still lurking around.  And what’s even more alarming is that it has now infiltrated Apple's App Store.

When you think about it, it's rather sneaky.  This isn't some obvious malware trying to steal your personal information.  There's no telltale sign of a malicious implant lurking in your apps.  The permissions these apps ask for?  They look perfectly normal and harmless.

Perhaps the most upsetting part of this discovery is that it marks the first time OCR spyware has been detected in Apple’s official app marketplace.  Imagine that.  You could be using your iPhone thinking you're safe, and your data is being stolen right from under your nose.

But let's think about this.  If you pick up on the fact that malicious software development kits are getting smarter.  They are finding new ways to get into our lives and our data.  So let's take this moment to do some thinking.  Think about how you download and review the apps you use.  Think about how careful you can be.  It’s never too much to be cautious.

Unwelcome Guests Your iPhone isn't as safe as you think

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