Apple continues to oppose downloading third-party apps and using third-party app stores on iOS. The company insists that this is purely for privacy and security reasons, stressing that there are 15-47 times more malware on Android.
The company’s latest report on this issue was released due to the fact that Apple is currently under antitrust investigation in the EU , the essence of which is that the company is forcing developers to use its own App Store to install applications and make payments. In addition, last summer Apple faced problems in the US, where two senators put forward a bill that, if passed, would force the company to open its devices to download third-party applications and use third-party payment systems.
In a recent report, Apple states that the reason iOS devices exclusively use the App Store as the only way to install apps is for security reasons, as it allows its company to scan apps for malicious content before reaching users. …
Apple cites statements from a number of sources (including the US Department of Homeland Security, ENISA, Europol, Interpol, NIST, Kaspersky Lab, Wandera, and Norton) that warn users that installing applications from third-party directories (called “sideloading”) can be dangerous.
“Forced sideloading in the iOS ecosystem will make the iPhone less secure and less trustworthy for users. This will happen regardless of whether third-party applications are downloaded directly or through third-party app stores, ”the company representatives write.
Apple’s report goes on to list several malicious campaigns targeting Android devices in which attackers trick users into downloading third-party malicious applications hosted on websites or in unofficial directories.
This list includes campaigns such as Goontact, HiddenAds, FakeSpy, SpyNote, BlackRock, Banker.BR, TeaBot, Fusob, Anubis, FluBot, HelloSpy, MalLocker.B, CopyCat, Android.Click.312.origin, and FakeAdsBlock. Thus, Apple lists a wide variety of threats in the report, including common adware, ransomware, banking Trojans, commercial spyware, and even “government hacker” malware, which, according to Apple, was spread by attackers precisely because of sideloading and user experience. Android install applications from any source on the Internet.
“Some third-party application download initiatives will also require [Apple] to remove protection from third-party access to proprietary hardware and non-public functions of the operating system,” writes Apple. “It will undermine the security foundation of the platform that protects the iPhone’s operating system, data, and services from malware, hacks, and disruptions.
Forcing Apple to support downloading third-party apps on iOS (via direct downloads or through third-party app stores) will weaken security levels and expose all users to new and serious risks. This will make it easier for malicious and illegitimate applications to reach users; will undermine the functions that give users control over downloaded legitimate applications; this could compromise the on-device protection of the iPhone.
Downloading third-party applications would be a step backwards in terms of user security and privacy: supporting sideloading applications on iOS devices would, in effect, turn them into pocket PCs, returning them to the days of virus-infected computers. “
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