Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced that it has removed more than 250 applications from its App Store. Most of those apps were designed by Chinese developers, and were installed by about one million users.
According to a report published by SourceDNA, the apps in question were accessing and keeping personal data such as device serial numbers and Apple ID. The report identified 256 infected programs and all of them had utilized SDK (software development kit) developed by Youmi, a Chinese advertiser. Youmi then purportedly farmed the information from users, who were unaware about the actual developers of the applications, according to the report.
The iPhone maker stated that the company recognized a set of apps that are making use of a third-party advertising SDK provided by Youmi that uses APIs to collect personal data like user email addresses, and route information to its company server. The company said this is against its security and privacy regulations.
AAPL said it will remove the apps utilizing Youmi’s SDK from its App Story. It will also reject any new app using this SDK. The company is closely working with developers to assist them in getting upgraded versions of their apps, which are safe for users and in accordance with its guidelines.
The iPhone maker didn’t revealed name of any app that was gathering user data.
This is not the first time the California-based company has found such apps. Last month, over two dozen tainted Chinese applications managed to make their way into Apple’s store. Earlier this month, the company also eliminated a number of ad-blocking applications installing root certificates, which enabled remote monitoring of personal information such as network data.
Overall, the App Store’s security has been considered solid, as just five malware-infected apps were able to enter the App store before Xcode breach last month. App Store has more than 1.5 million applications.
