The Mac App Store still seems to be fighting off malicious apps. Security researchers have found apps that collect user data and upload it to developers’ servers, MalwareBytes reported.
The apps tend to be utility apps and anti-malware apps. The apps gather data on users’ browser search and viewing history, what software users have downloaded, App Store browsing information, and even a list of all running processes. They also appear to be sent to servers in China where requirements for storage and protection for identifiable information varies from those in the U.S. and U.K, according to MalwareBytes.
The apps reported to have these problems include Adware Doctor, Open Any Files: RAR Support, Dr. Antivirus, and Dr. Cleaner. Some of these apps also boast a number of a five-star ratings, which Digital Trends notes could be fake.
Adware Doctor has since been removed following the news from security researchers.
“Unfortunately the App Store is really not the safe haven that Apple would like people to think it is,” Thomas Reed of MalwareBytes tells Wired.
