A new spyware that affects any iPhone or iPad running iOS 7 or iOS 8, regardless of whether they have jailbreak applied or not. Under the name XAgente, this malicious software infects devices through a phishing attack.
The technique that XAgent uses to infect users is based on the technique «island hopping«. This means that the devices of friends or family are infected and then these are used to infect the iPhone or iPad that is intended to be the subject of data theft. In the end it is based on trust and if we receive a link from someone we know, we are always more likely to open it than if it comes from an external and unknown source.
When the iPhone or iPad is infected with XAgent, spyware is able to rob us photos, terminal information, even activating the microphone and recording any conversation in the environment. Bearing this in mind, it is a potentially dangerous tool for politicians, members of security, etc.
Although iOS 7 and iOS 8 are the vulnerable systems to XAgent, the malware installs more easily in iOS 7 as it is capable of executing itself and hiding its application icon. In the case of iOS 8, the icon is impossible to hide and the user has to open the application every time they turn on or restart the device if they want to get infected again.
How to prevent XAgent from infecting our iPhone or iPad? As always, common sense is the best tool in these cases. We have to avoid opening unknown links or run applications that do not come from the App Store.
There is still a lot of misinformation surrounding this type of spyware. For example, it has not been specified how a device that is not jailbroken can become infected, being a download from the App Store the one installed by XAgente on the iPhone or iPad. We will keep you informed of any news.
