Apple Removes Several Tendency Micro Apps For Collecting Macos Users' Data

Apple has removed almost all pop safety apps offered past times well-known cyber-security vendor Trend Micro from its official Mac App Store subsequently they were caught stealing users' sensitive information without their consent.

The controversial apps inward interrogation include Dr Cleaner, Dr Cleaner Pro, Dr Antivirus, Dr Unarchiver, App Uninstall, physician Battery, together with Duplicate Finder for Mac computers.

The apps were removed merely ii days subsequently Apple kicked out around other pop "Adware Doctor" application for collecting together with sending browser history data from users' Safari, Chrome, together with Firefox to a server inward China.

"This was a onetime information collection, done for safety purposes (to analyze whether a user had of late encountered adware or other threats, together with hence to amend the production & service)," Trend Micro argued.

The suspicious lead of Trend Micro apps was initially reported past times a user on the Malwarebytes forum inward Dec 2017, which was in conclusion weekend re-confirmed past times safety researcher Privacy_1st on Twitter, who together with so notified the number to Apple.

Privacy_1st is the same researcher who also discovered together with reported well-nigh the suspicious spyware-like lead of Adware Doctor.

Trend Micro Apps Caught Stealing Users' Data

The researcher has also published a video demonstration showing how physician Cleaner together with physician Antivirus collected users' organization information together with browsing history information from pop spider web browsers including Safari, Chrome, together with Firefox, together with and so sent them to trendmicro.com.

However, they were non the entirely ones having the issue. Within 24-hours subsequently the revelation sparked controversy, multiple safety researchers institute similar issues inward almost all macOS safety together with utility apps offered past times Trend Micro.

In a blog post published past times Thomas Reed, a researcher alongside Malwarebytes, also confirmed the information exfiltration past times physician Antivirus together with physician Cleaner applications.

At the fourth dimension of writing, Apple has removed all Trend Micro apps (with high user reviews together with ratings) from its Mac App Store, except Network Scanner together with physician WiFi.

Trend Micro Admitted to the Issue, But Tried to Downplayed It

Trend Micro get-go tried to defend its wrongdoing but inward response to broader media coverage, the safety theatre yesterday finally admitted information collection past times a number of its apps together with apologize.

However, the companionship i time to a greater extent than downplayed the significance of its users' privacy breach past times maxim that the apps "collected together with uploaded a small-scale snapshot of the browser history on a onetime basis, roofing the 24 hours prior to installation."

"We apologize to our community for line of piece of job concern they mightiness convey felt together with tin give notice reassure all that their information is prophylactic together with at no indicate was compromised," Trend Micro said.

"We convey completed the removal of browser collection features across our consumer products inward question. We convey permanently dumped all legacy logs, which were stored on US-based AWS servers," together with "we believe nosotros identified a core issue which is humbly the final result of the exercise of mutual code libraries."

First the pop security-scanning Adware Doctor app, together with immediately several pop apps from a trusty safety vendor stealing your information together with privacy propose that fifty-fifty travel past times apps on official Mac App Store cannot live on trusted blindly.

Though Apple has already removed the apps inward question, users who convey already downloaded i of the above-mentioned apps are strongly advised to withdraw them from their systems every bit before long every bit possible.