Jailbroken iPhones are being targeted by an active malware campaign, stealing passwords

A malware campaign has been unearthed by security researcher Stefan Esser after many of the users of jailbroken iPhones and iPads posted on Reddit that their devices crashed repeatedly after installing unofficial tweaks through a third-party app store called ‘Cydia’ which serves the market of jailbroken  Apple devices.
According to Stefan Esser, the purpose of the malware is to get information about Apple ID from jailbroken iPhones and iPads. The malware campaign is being called “Unflod Baby Panda” and it originates from China. Stefan Esser reports the results in a blog post and writes the following:
“This malware appears to have Chinese origin and comes as a library called Unflod.dylib that hooks into all running processes of jailbroken iDevices and listens to outgoing SSL connections. From these connections it tries to steal the device’s Apple-ID and corresponding password and sends them in plaintext to servers with IP addresses in control of US hosting companies for apparently Chinese customers.”

The other name for this library is framework.dylib which is found in other infections. However, it is not clear how the malware ended up in the jailbroken iPhones and iPads. Rumors are that “Chinese piracy repositories are involvedare so far unverified,” reported the blog.
In an e-mail to Ars, Esser reveals that iPhone 5S/iPad Air or iPad mini 2G are safe from the malware as it can only attack 32-bit versions of iOS. “There is no ARM 64-bit version of the code in the copy of the library we got,” he wrote. The solution is to restore the device. After restoring the devices the users must also change their Apple ID passwords as soon as possible.
“That is why we recommend to restore the device,” Esser suggested Ars. “However, that means people will lose their jailbreak until a new one is released, and the majority of jailbreak users will not do that.”
Sophos, antivirus provider, researchers underplay that the threat came from Cydia directly and suggest there no need to panic.
“I will also again take this moment to point out to anyone concerned that the probability of this coming from a default [Cydia] repository is fairly low,” Cydia developer Jay Freeman, aka Saurik, wrote in one reddit comment. “I don’t recommend people go adding random URLs to Cydia and downloading random software from untrusted people any more than I recommend opening the .exe files you receive by e-mail on your desktop computer.”

TSMC will build chips for upcoming iPhone

According to a new AP report, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) will build the chips for Apple's next iPhone, leaving rival Samsung hanging.

The semiconductor company has already begun producing the A8 chip, a more powerful version of last year's 64-bit processor.

Multiple supply chain sources are cited in the report, and the report also claims the new iPhone 6 will have a 4.7-inch screen.

Samsung used to make nearly all of Apple's chips, but as the two companies have stepped up their global battle, both in smartphones and in patent litigation, Apple has been trying to move away from its reliance on the components maker. This has been tough, as there are very few companies that can match even half of Samsung's production.

Apple CarPlay brings the iOS experience to your car dashboard

This morning, Apple announced the launch of CarPlay, bringing the iOS experience to automobiles starting in 2014.

iPhone 5, 5C and 5S users can use CarPlay to control phone calls, use Maps, play their music, and have messages dictated to them. When released, cars will have a native CarPlay interface or you can choose to activate Siri from a new voice control button on the steering wheel.

"CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing. "iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction. We have an amazing lineup of auto partners rolling out CarPlay, and we're thrilled it will make its debut this week in Geneva."

The software/hardware will debut this week in cars from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. Later in the year, it will be available in Honda, Jaguar and Hyundai models. Next year, that selection increases significantly to include BMW, Ford, General Motors, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.

Besides the phone call and message management, one interesting feature is the integration with Apple Maps. Apple says "CarPlay makes driving directions more intuitive by working with Maps to anticipate destinations based on recent trips via contacts, emails or texts, and provides routing instructions, traffic conditions and ETA." Siri will also provide turn-by-turn instructions.

Finally, CarPlay will work with third-party apps like Spotify, Beats and iHeartRadio besides the normal iTunes Radio and iTunes Music. You can control what you are listening to with touch or using Siri to search for what you want to hear.