Mobile malware warning from Ukrainian researchers includes iPhone exploit kit

What happened

DarkSword has been deployed in so-called watering-hole attacks, in which hackers compromise legitimate websites that their intended victims are likely to visit. 'Hit and run' iPhone malware (software written to damage a system or steal from it) known as DarkSword is part of a wave of Russian attacks on iOS and Android devices, according to Ukraine's SSSCIP. Apple is a software and consumer electronics company based in Cupertino.

The hackers are going after both Android and iOS devices using malicious apps and sophisticated exploits, according to Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP). “The growing role of smartphones in communications among military personnel, government employees and civilians makes them increasingly attractive targets for intelligence gathering, further compromise and financially motivated attacks,” researchers said .

One of the tools used against Ukrainian targets is DarkSword, an exploit kit designed to compromise iPhones. In Ukraine, attackers have compromised news and government websites to exploit vulnerabilities in Apple’s Safari browser and iOS. The technique can infect an iPhone with little or no action from the victim.