14 DAY TRIAL // The main idea is that there is no malware or virus that can attack your iPhone or iPad to steal private information and delete stuff from your iOS Device. However, a security researcher says there is a malware that helps its creator get all the revenue from ads displayed on different apps.
How does it affect you? It doesn't. It is not like your info is not safe or you will lose any money. However, the developers that have ads included in their apps or websites will not be getting the same revenue.
There is no way to get your iPhone or iPad infected with AdThief if you are a regular user minding your own business. In order to have it on your device, you need to perform a jailbreak first. AdThief was created by a Chinese hacker and it got into the public eye back in March of 2014.
According to a report by security researcher Axelle Apvrille, AdThief has been installed on over 75,000 devices so far and it has managed to hijack approximately 22 million ads.
A jailbroken device will not install this malware by itself if you are still careful what repos you are using. The source explains that AdThief comes from certain untrusted Cydia repos and packages, most likely pirated apps and it disguises itself as a Cydia Substrate extension. Once it gets to your iPhone or iPad, it finds a way to replace legitimate affiliate codes from 15 major ad networks with its own code.
The user will never know this happens, nor the developer, but all the taps on those ad banners and in-app promotions will register as taps for the Chinese hacker.
The adkits targeted by this malware are mostly from China. Only four out of 15 are from the United States and two are from India.
The only way an iPhone user can stay safe is to make sure he does not install any packages or adds any repositories that are suspicious. As long as you keep the basic packages provided by Cydia or install the official big ones, you are going to find enough apps to install and plenty of tweaks and themes to try out. Also, it is recommended that you do not install cracked or pirated AppStore apps and stay away from Cydia Substrate extensions that may present risks.
Jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone is not illegal anymore, but there are problems that may arise after installing stuff on your iPhone from untrusted sources. If you believe you have such a malware on your phone, a simple restore in iTunes will get rid of it right away. Should you need to jailbreak it again, make sure you follow the above mentioned tips.