MacRumors

Earlier this week, Chinese developers disclosed new iOS malware called XcodeGhost on microblogging service Sina Weibo. U.S. cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks has since published details about the malware.

MacRumors has created a FAQ so you can learn more about XcodeGhost and how to keep your iOS devices protected.

What is XcodeGhost?
XcodeGhost is a new iOS malware arising from a malicious version of Xcode, Apple's official tool for developing iOS and OS X apps.

How is XcodeGhost distributed?
A malicious version of Xcode was uploaded to Chinese cloud file sharing service Baidu and downloaded by some iOS developers in China.

Chinese developers then unknowingly compiled iOS apps using the modified Xcode IDE and distributed those infected apps through the App Store.

Those apps then managed to pass through Apple's code review process, enabling iOS users to install or update the infected apps on their devices.

Which devices are affected?
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models running an iOS version compatible with any of the infected apps. The malware affects both stock and jailbroken devices.

Which apps are affected?
Palo Alto Networks has shared a full list of over 50 infected iOS apps, including WeChat, NetEase Cloud Music, WinZip, Didi Chuxing, Railway 12306, China Unicom Mobile Office and Tonghuashun.

How many users are affected?
XcodeGhost potentially affects more than 500 million iOS users, primarily because messaging app WeChat is very popular in China and the Asia-Pacific region.

Which unofficial versions of Xcode are affected?
All unofficial versions between Xcode 6.1 and Xcode 6.4.

How does XcodeGhost put my iOS devices at risk?
iOS apps infected with XcodeGhost malware can and do collect information about devices and then encrypt and upload that data to command and control (C2) servers run by attackers through the HTTP protocol. The system and app information that can be collected includes:

Current time

Current infected app’s name

The app’s bundle identifier

Current device’s name and type

Current system’s language and country

Current device’s UUID

Network type

Palo Alto Networks also discovered that infected iOS apps can receive commands from the attacker through the C2 server to perform the following actions:

Prompt a fake alert dialog to phish user credentials;

Hijack opening specific URLs based on their scheme, which could allow for exploitation of vulnerabilities in the iOS system or other iOS apps;

Read and write data in the user’s clipboard, which could be used to read the user’s password if that password is copied from a password management tool.

Can XcodeGhost affect users outside of China?
Yes. Some of the iOS apps infected with XcodeGhost malware are available on the App Store in countries outside of China. CamCard, for example, is a popular business card reader and scanner app available in the United States and several other countries, while WeChat is a popular messaging app in the Asia-Pacific region.

Why would some Chinese developers download Xcode from Baidu?
Xcode is a large file that can take a long time to download from Apple's servers in China, leading some developers to download Xcode from unofficial sources.

How are Apple and Chinese developers dealing with XcodeGhost?
Palo Alto Networks claims that it is cooperating with Apple on the issue, while multiple developers have updated their apps to remove the malware.

Apple has since issued the following statement to Reuters:

"We’ve removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software. We are working with the developers to make sure they’re using the proper version of Xcode to rebuild their apps."

How do I protect myself against XcodeGhost?
iOS users should immediately uninstall any infected iOS app listed here on their devices, or update to a newer version that has removed the malware. Resetting your iCloud password, and any other passwords inputted on your iOS device, is also strongly recommended as a precautionary measure.

Developers should install official versions of Xcode 7 or Xcode 7.1 beta from Apple's website for free and avoid downloading the software from unofficial sources.

Tags: China, Palo Alto Networks, Xcode, XcodeGhost

Just days after iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders began shifting to "Preparing for Shipment" status on the Apple Online Store, several customers in the United States and abroad have received notice that the smartphones are now shipping from China for estimated delivery on September 25.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders have been shipped by both Apple and carriers such as Verizon and T-Mobile. Most devices are scheduled for overnight shipping next Thursday, meaning that customers should begin receiving their new iPhones on Friday morning, the same day the smartphones launch in twelve countries.

Apple requires that couriers such as UPS and FedEx in the United States hold iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus deliveries until September 25, but in years past some lucky customers have received their device slightly earlier. Meanwhile, New York City and Philadelphia residents could face delays due to Pope Francis visiting next week.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders began on September 12 at 12:01 AM Pacific in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Most iPhone 6s Plus and Rose Gold models are now estimated to ship in 3-4 weeks or later.

There still remains the option of standing in line at an Apple Store for a chance to purchase a specific iPhone model on launch day, but expect long lines at most locations. The new iPhones go on sale September 25 at 8:00 AM local time on a first come, first served basis for customers without reservations.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Pre-Order Discussion

Apple.com pre-orders

AT&T pre-orders

Verizon pre-orders

Sprint pre-orders

T-Mobile pre-orders

Canada pre-orders

UK pre-orders

Launch Day Meetups

Find others in your area

(Thanks, Alvin and Raquel!)

Tag: UPS

Related Forum: iPhone

After being closed since June for a complete overhaul, Apple today re-opened its Infinite Loop Campus Store in Cupertino, California. The store is located on its famous campus, and it is the only Apple Store that sells Apple-branded products like t-shirts, notebooks, and coffee mugs in addition to standard Apple Store fare like MacBooks and iPhones.

Hundreds of people visited the new store today, waiting in long lines to get inside to see the new design. Apple employees were on hand to give out umbrellas to block out the sun and water to beat the 90 degree heat. Customers who waited in line received a free shirt that plays on the Apple Watch and Apple Music, reading just " Shirt."

Before it was redesigned, the campus store only sold items like T-shirts and coffee mugs, but after the revamp, it is a full Apple Store that lacks only a Genius Bar for device repairs. The store now sells iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watches, Beats headphones, and related accessories like cases and bands, but it does not offer third-party accessories.

All available products are widely spaced out to place focus on each individual item, and as employees at the store opening pointed out, this is the first Apple Store in the U.S. to sport this particular internal design.

While Apple has cut down on the number of Apple-branded swag products that are offered at the store, the company is selling a selection of notebooks, coffee mugs, water bottles, and pens that are designed to match its MacBook lineup in shades of Silver, Space Gray, and Gold.

Apple's Infinite Loop Store will be open to the public from Monday to Friday, and going forward, the store will also be open on Saturdays, something that's new for this particular location.

While many customers around the world anticipate receiving their brand new iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus when the smartphones launch on September 25, pre-order deliveries in areas of New York City and Philadelphia could be delayed as Pope Francis prepares to visit both of those cities next week.

UPS, a courier service that frequently delivers Apple pre-orders, has posted a temporary service notice on its website that states no pickups and deliveries will be available in the following ZIP code areas of NYC and Philadelphia this Thursday-Friday and Friday-Saturday respectively due to security measures.

Affected ZIP Code Areas

New York City: 10001, 10007, 10017, 10021, 10022, 10023, 10029

Philadelphia: 19102, 19103, 19104, 19106, 19107, 19109, 19123, 19130, 19146, 19147

The affected areas in New York City are all in Manhattan, including parts of Chelsea, Civic Center, East Harlem, Midtown, Tribeca and the Upper East Side and Upper West Side. Pope Francis will be making appearances in those areas at St. Patrick's Cathedral, United Nations headquarters, 9/11 Museum, Central Park, Madison Square Garden and elsewhere next Thursday and Friday.

The affected areas in Philadelphia include parts of Bella Vista, Callowhill, Center City, Devil's Pocket, Fairmount, Grays Ferry, Logan Square, Mantua, Northern Liberties, Passyunk Square, Pennsport, Point Breeze, Poplar, Powelton Village, Rittenhouse Square, Society Hill, Southwark, Spring Garden, Spruce Hill, University City, Washington Square West, West Philadelphia and West Powelton.

UPS typically offers the option of personal pickup at a holding facility, so there remains a possibility that some New York City and Philadelphia residents will be able to receive their iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus deliveries on launch day. For others, however, it may mean waiting until Monday to get that shiny new iPhone.

FedEx and USPS have since confirmed they will be following similar security procedures.

Update: A UPS spokesperson told MacRumors that it has been in communication with customers ahead of the Pope's visit.

UPS has been in communication with customers ahead of time about the impacts of the Pope’s visit through handouts, placards on drop boxes and phone, personal and email contact.

This is very typical for large events like this where there is a lot of security requirements and limitations. UPS has worked through these types of events on multiple occasions. For those ZIP codes that are affected, other alternatives include routing deliveries through UPS My Choice to another location.

Note: Due to the nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: New York City, Philadelphia, Pope Francis, UPS

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple has posted several job listings today for an upcoming retail store in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China. The store is looking to fill Specialist, Creative, Genius, Store Leader and Manager positions, in addition to hiring for the Apple Store Leader Program and multiple business-related positions.

Chinese-language newspaper Macao Daily reported in June that Apple is planning to open a flagship store in Macau, which is located across from Hong Kong, but the news went largely uncovered by mainstream media. At the time, the report claimed that Apple had not finalized a location for the upcoming store.

Apple celebrated the grand opening of its Apple Store in Brussels today, while two new Apple Stores also open in Nanjing, China and Florence, Italy today and September 26 respectively. Apple now operates over 460 retail stores worldwide.

Apple celebrated the grand opening of its newly designed Apple Store in Brussels today with much fanfare, ranging from CEO Tim Cook tweeting to long lineups and media forming around the entrance prior to the doors opening. The store is the first located in Belgium at Avenue de la Toison d'Or in a busy shopping area.

The new Apple Store is the first to feature a next-generation Jony Ive-inspired design with large and virtually seamless curved glass panels on the facade, light boxes extending the length of the ceiling, indoor trees, touch-sensitive sequoia wood tables, new wooden shelves for Beats headphones and other accessories, and a massive digital screen at the back of the store for product marketing.

Apple blog One More Thing was on hand for the Apple Store grand opening in Brussels today and recorded some exciting footage as the doors opened. As with many other grand openings, the day started with a countdown among the hundreds of people lined up outside the store, at which point the doors opened and customers were cheered on by retail employees as they entered.

Apple recently shared a new video that highlights the work of several comic artists in Brussels, which is known for its tradition of comic art, to celebrate the grand opening. The store is open on Monday-Saturday between 10 AM and 7 PM local time and offers a Genius Bar, Workshops and other regular services.

(Thanks, Jan!)

Apple has updated its regional websites for Austria, Denmark and Ireland to announce the Apple Watch will be available on September 25.

Apple Watch models with prices were also added to the Apple Store app in Norway and Poland, but no release dates have been listed in either country.

Austria
- Apple Watch Sport: €399 to €449
- Apple Watch: €649 to €1,249
- Apple Watch Edition: €11,000 to €18,000

Denmark
- Apple Watch Sport: 3.099,00 kr. to 3.499,00 kr.
- Apple Watch: 4.999,00 kr. to 9.699,00 kr.
- Apple Watch Edition: 85.000,00 kr. to 140.000,00 kr.

Ireland
- Apple Watch Sport: €429 to €479
- Apple Watch: €679 to €1,279
- Apple Watch Edition: €11,300 to €18,500

MacRumors previously reported the Apple Watch was expected to launch in Austria, Denmark and India this month, leaving India as the sole country of the three that has yet to announce an Apple Watch release date.

Austria, Denmark and Ireland will be part of the fifth Apple Watch launch wave:

April 24: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, U.K. and U.S.

June 26: Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan

July 17: The Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand

July 31: New Zealand, Russia, Turkey

September 25: Austria, Denmark, Ireland

Apple Watch sales have also expanded to dozens of Apple Premium Resellers this month.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10

Tags: Austria, Denmark, Ireland

Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

As developers get their hands on Apple TV, they've started experimenting with its new operating system tvOS, testing new kinds of apps and finding tidbits that haven't been discovered yet. Developer James Addyman, for instance, has created an emulator for the new Apple TV called Provenance.

Provenance is an iOS front end that allows support for multiple emulators. Currently, it supports emulators for Sega's Genesis, Master System, Mega CD and Game Gear and Nintendo's NES, SNES, Gameboy and Gameboy Advance.

While Provenance is still being developed and it's unlikely the app will make it into the Apple TV's App Store, other developers can test Provenance as Addyman continues work on it. Addyman says certain issues still need to be corrected, including determining when the Apple TV will erase its local content and how to properly map old Sega and Nintendo gamepad functions to the Siri Remote. Addyman began developing Provenance last week within the tvOS simulator.

Mirroring Addyman's concerns about mapping old Nintendo and Sega gamepad functions to the Siri Remote, developer Steve Troughton-Smith points out how many inputs can actually be used for playing games.

While the touchpad can be clicked, acting as a "second button", it can't be clicked easily while being used to control movement. This could make game development difficult, as games have to be able to be played on the Siri Remote.

Troughton-Smith has also been revealing Apple TV tidbits as he explores the dev kit. For instance, when a user picks up the new Siri Remote it senses it's being held and automatically wakes up the screen before a button is pressed. IR is used to control a TV's volume with the Siri Remote and your TV remote can be used to control the Apple TV.

Additionally, the existing Apple TV IR remotes also work with the new Apple TV. This includes the silver aluminum remote that ships with current Apple TVs and the original white plastic Apple TV remote. While they don't allow you to access Siri, they do allow you to navigate around the Apple TV's interface.

Finally, with Apple TV dev kits in the hands of developers, some have made their way onto sites like eBay and Craigslist for sale for up to $1,000.

The new Apple TV will be available in October and come in two variations: a 32 GB version for $149 and a 64 GB version for $199.

Ahead of the September 25 launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the new devices are beginning to show up in shipping warehouses as Apple prepares to deliver them to pre-order customers around the world. With more people having access to the devices before launch, there are bound to be a few image leaks, and today, some photos of both the outer packaging of the iPhone 6s and the rose gold iPhone have surfaced.

Spanish site iPhoneros [Google Translate] says its photos of the packaging came from a source in China. In one of the images, the packaging for all four iPhone 6s colors is depicted, each with a different siamese fighting fish, matching previous leaked packaging photos. The side of the box has the iPhone 6s name, and there's an Apple logo at the top.

The Rose Gold iPhone 6s box appears to have an orange fish, while the Silver iPhone 6s has a blue fish. The fish on the Gold iPhone 6s box is blue and gold, while the Space Gray iPhone 6s packaging has a red fish.

Chinese site Feng [Google Translate] has also shared a series of photos depicting both the packaging and the Rose Gold iPhone 6s. Of note on the Rose Gold iPhone is the small "S" on the back of the device, a marker that has not been seen on previous S generation phones. This was clearly depicted in press images of the device taken at the September 9 media event, but may have gone unnoticed by some.

With the S identifier at the back of the phone, it will be easier to distinguish one of the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices from the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.

The fish that are depicted on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus packaging will be available as motion-based wallpapers on the new devices, along with motion wallpapers depicting different colored smoke. The new dynamic wallpapers are exclusive to the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus and are unavailable on older devices.

Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will be available beginning on September 25, and some customers who pre-ordered have already begun having their cards charged and are seeing their order statuses shift from "Processing" to "Preparing for shipment." Earlier this week, order status changes were limited to customers outside of the U.S., but in the last day, even customers in the United States have begun seeing some movement.

Apple continues to move toward retiring its One to One training program aimed at Mac customers, with the company's online store checkout process no longer offering the program as an add-on option for Mac purchases as of today.

Today's change comes a few weeks after MacRumors initially reported rumors of One to One's impending demise and later confirmed meetings with retail staff to announce the change. The program will officially be discontinued on September 28, although with today's change it's clear the company is looking to halt new signups as much as possible ahead of that date.

Priced at $99 per year and valid for up to three years following the purchase of a new Mac, Apple's One to One program offered to teach customers unfamiliar with the company's products everything from basic setup to more specialized sessions on apps like GarageBand and Final Cut Pro.

Apple will continue to offer free workshops and training in its stores, but with the more advanced paid One to One option being discontinued, it could offer an opportunity for resellers to promote their own similar programs.

Apple News launched on iOS 9 this week in the U.S., delivering the latest stories from large publications and independent blogs alike in one mobile-friendly format on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Apple has set attractive monetization terms for Apple News, allowing publishers to collect 100% of revenue earned from ads they sell and 70% of revenue from iAds inventory sold by Apple.

In return, publishers appear ready to give Apple News a chance. In addition to several high-profile publications that have signed on for the service, including Bloomberg, CNN, ESPN and The New York Times, at least one has decided to offer exclusive early access to select content through the app.

Re/code editor Peter Kafka recently tweeted that an upcoming Wired feature about "starchitect Bjarke Ingels" will be available exclusively on Apple News at 3 PM Eastern today, with expanded availability on the web next Tuesday -- a four-day exclusive window on Apple News.

Wired parent company Conde Nast, which also publishes Vanity Fair, GQ, Epicurious, Teen Vogue and Conde Nast Traveler, will be pushing sponsorship opportunities to advertisers, which is perhaps a more viable monetization strategy with the emergence of content blockers on iOS 9. It has already signed up Burberry, Ford, Campbell Soup and Reynolds to flat-rate deals.

Apple News has the potential to command a large audience due to widespread adoption of iPhones and iPads, but it remains to be seen how popular the app will be with Facebook, Twitter and other platforms for consuming digital content vying for reader attention. News Corporation shut down its iPad newspaper The Daily in 2012, while Conde Nast has attempted exclusive iPad content in the past with little fanfare.

The full potential of Apple News should become clearer as iOS 9 adoption rises and Apple News Format becomes widely available for publishers to create custom editorial layouts geared towards their individual brands.

Apple has added a banner to its U.S. website that allows customers to donate to the American Red Cross through the iTunes Store to support the refugee and migration crisis across the Mediterranean Sea and Europe. The donation tiers available include $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 and $200.

All of the proceeds from donations, which are processed as regular iTunes Store transactions, are sent to the American Red Cross. Apple has run American Red Cross donation campaigns several times in the past for crises such as the 2015 Nepal earthquake, 2013 Philippines typhoon, 2012 Hurricane Sandy, 2011 Japan tsunami and 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Update: Apple will also make a "substantial donation" itself and match employee donations by 2-to-1, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

“Apple is dedicated to advancing human rights around the world,” Cook wrote in the message, seen by Reuters. “We hope the actions we’re taking will help make the situation less desperate for some, and ease the hardship so many are enduring.”

Note: Due to the nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple senior legal counsel Mike Maletic held an hour-long meeting with the California Department of Motor Vehicles last month to review "autonomous vehicle regulations," according to internal documents obtained by The Guardian. The revelation comes amid widespread rumors that Apple has hired hundreds of employees to develop an electric vehicle over the past several months.

Maletic reportedly met with a trio of DMV executives familiar with self-driving cars, including deputy director Bernard Soriano and chief of strategic planning Stephanie Dougherty, who are co-sponsors of California's autonomous vehicle regulation project. Brian Soublet, the department’s deputy director and chief counsel, was also in the meeting, according to the report.

California’s DMV is developing regulations for the eventual deployment and public operation of autonomous vehicles. These rules will establish requirements that manufacturers must meet to certify that their driverless vehicles have been successfully tested, meet safety criteria, and are ready for consumers to operate on public roads.

Apple would be required to obtain an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit from the California DMV to test autonomous vehicles on public roads, which Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Google, Tesla Motors, Nissan, BMW, Honda and others have already done. Given the Cupertino-based company's culture of secrecy, however, that is an unlikely scenario.

If Apple does seek a testing permit for its Project Titan self-driving car, it will have to sacrifice much of its legendary preference for secrecy. Manufacturers applying for a permit have to detail the make, model and vehicle identification number (VIN) of cars they want to test, share details of autonomous features and capabilities, and identify test drivers by name.

If rumors about Apple testing an electric vehicle are true, it is more likely that the iPhone maker will use a private testing facility such as GoMentum Station, a 2,100-acre former naval base in the San Francisco Bay Area run by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. Apple could also use its own property to test vehicles with complete privacy, something it may already be doing.

The report suggests the so-called "Apple Car" could be "almost ready for public view":

According to documents obtained by the Guardian, Apple has appointed an engineering program manager (EPM) to Project Titan. EPMs generally arrive on an Apple project once a product is ready to leave the lab, and coordinate the work of teams of hardware and software engineers.

Apple's rumored "Project Titan" electric vehicle research and development could be based at a top-secret office complex in Sunnyvale codenamed SG05, the report corroborates. Bloomberg reported in February that Apple aims to begin electric car production as early as 2020, but the company's roadmap is not entirely clear due to the highly secretive nature of the project.

Update: Representatives from the California DMV that spoke to Re/code have confirmed that Apple did meet with the DMV to discuss California's autonomous vehicle regulations.

"The meeting with representatives from Apple focused on a discussion of the autonomous vehicle testing regulations that went into effect in September of 2014," DMV spokesman Armando Botello said in an emailed statement.