Security Researchers Discover XcodeSpy Malware That Targets Developers - MacRumors
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Security Researchers Discover XcodeSpy Malware That Targets Developers

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Developers need to look out for "XcodeSpy," a malicious Xcode project that installs a custom variant of the "EggShell" backdoor on a macOS computer, according to new research shared today by SentinelOne (via Ars Technica).

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Xcode is software designed for developers who want to write apps for the iOS and macOS platforms, and the malicious project that's circulating mirrors TabBarInteraction, a legitimate open source project.

Developers who download the XcodeSpy project think they're getting TabBarInteraction, but the malware includes a hidden "run Script" executable that downloads and installs the EggShell open source back door that's able to spy on users through the microphone, camera, and keyboard as well as upload and download files.

Two variants of the custom EggShell attack were found to be uploaded in Japan, first in August and then in October, so this is an attack that's been out in the wild for some time.

We have thus far been unable to discover other samples of trojanized Xcode projects and cannot gauge the extent of this activity. However, the timeline from known samples and other indicators mentioned below suggest that other XcodeSpy projects may exist. By sharing details of this campaign, we hope to raise awareness of this attack vector and highlight the fact that developers are high-value targets for attackers.

SentinelOne says that all Apple Developers that use Xcode should exercise caution when using shared Xcode projects.

Tag: Xcode

Top Rated Comments

jonnysods Avatar
jonnysods
66 months ago
Get ready for lots of Justin Long Intel videos about this next week.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
Apple_Robert
66 months ago

Laughing on my Linux developer laptop.
What is so funny? It's not like Linux hasn't had Malware problems.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
I7guy
66 months ago
Comes under the heading, be very careful about what you download.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hot-gril Avatar
hot-gril
66 months ago

Why is it being called a Trojan when it has to be actively installed?
Cause that's what trojans are.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hot-gril Avatar
hot-gril
66 months ago

Comes under the heading, be very careful about what you download.
Xcode does warn you when opening an xcodeproj downloaded from the Internet, but given how frequently you legitimately have to open and build random projects, I wish there were better sandboxing. The "run script" phase runs arbitrary code, ofc necessary when building many things but also an attack vector.

Edit: And even if you're not manually opening/building projects, you're probably using Cocoapods, which is. Of course other dev platforms have similar risks.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unsupported Avatar
Unsupported
66 months ago

Why is it being called a Trojan when it has to be actively installed?
https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/trojans

A Trojan horse or Trojan is a type of malware that is often disguised as legitimate software. Trojans can be employed by cyber-thieves and hackers trying to gain access to users' systems. Users are typically tricked by some form of social engineering into loading and executing Trojans on their systems. Once activated, Trojans can enable cyber-criminals to spy on you, steal your sensitive data, and gain backdoor access to your system. These actions can include:

•Deleting data
•Blocking data
•Modifying data
•Copying data
•Disrupting the performance of computers or computer networks

Modifying data?

So it could infect the project that the developer is working on?

Nasty!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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