Cybersecurity firm IDs new Apple-targeting malware

Security software provider Palo Alto Networks says it has discovered a new form of malware that may have affected hundreds of thousands of Apple mobile device users, largely in China.

The company is calling the malware WireLurker and says it monitors devices connected by a USB cable to an infected computer and installs malicious applications onto the device. The malware steals a variety of information from mobile devices, but the goal of its creator isn’t clear yet.

Apple did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment early Thursday morning.

Palo Alto Networks says the malware is spreading through applications downloaded from Maiyadi App Store, a third-party Mac applications store in China.