Knockoff crypto wallet app rises to the top of the App Store

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Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
This isn't the kind of thing we expect from Apple.
Photo: Apple

In what looks like its latest security faux pas, Apple has allowed an app pretending to be created by MyEtherWallet.com — one of the internet’s leading services for storing ETH and other crypto currency — into the App Store.

Not just that, but the app quickly rose to the top of the iOS App Store over the weekend. Despite the creators of MyEtherWallet saying that the app is fake, and asking Apple to remove it, at time of writing the $4.99 app is still available to download.

For those unfamiliar with it, a crypto wallet is a public address where money can be sent, along with a private key for accessing it. The counterfeit MyEtherWallet app’s creator, listed as Nam Le, has three other apps available in the App Store, with two of them being panda fighting games. There’s no history of he or she running crypto or bitcoin services.

The service is problematic for a couple of reasons. The first relates to potential security issues, while the second is that not only is Nam Le trading off the MyEtherWallet name, but is also monetizing free and open-source software (FOSS).

It’s not clear exactly how many downloads the app has received, but as TechCrunch — which first reported the story — points out, a recent update of the app thanks users for their “early feedbacks.” Over the weekend, the app rose to the number three position in Apple’s Finance category on the App Store.

A disappointing security lapse

It’s not clear how the app made it through Apple’s usually rigorous selection process. Normally Apple errs on the side of caution, and developers are far more likely to complain about their difficulty getting into the App Store, than situations like this occurring.

Ether
The app is currently still available for download.
Photo: Apple

Unfortunately, it may be the latest in a list of recent security mishaps Apple has suffered. A recent major Apple security flaw left Macs wide open to attacks. My Cult of Mac colleague Killian Bell has also compiled a list of similar issues, often involving buggy software, Apple has released in recent months.

While this isn’t nearly as severe as letting any user log into a Mac without knowing the password, it’s definitely not the kind of attention to detail we’d expect from Apple.

Source: TechCrunch

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