There are a number of apps available on App store that help in mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Monero. Though iPhones and iPads are not exactly the best devices for mining cryptocurrencies with the market filled with highly powerful miners, some people still like to use the idle power of their iPads and iPhones to mine cryptocurrencies irrespective of their productivity.
Apple’s Reasoning on the Ban
Due to Apple’s failure to remove ransomware from third party apps, ransomwares have infected its mobile apps to use the wide network of iPads and iPhones to mine cryptocurrencies. Apple’s security department has found out these attacks and now the company has eradicated any further ransomware removal possibilities by completely banning mining apps on App Store.
Last week’s event of WWDC featured Apple announcing modifications to the existing rules to remove ransomware from its devices. Moreover, the company documentation for app developers has been changed with further limitations that abolish the use of cryptocurrency mining by any third party advertisements.
There are some eye brows raised on this ban but many people have also applauded the decision. One of the prime reasons behind the step was Apple’s suspicion on the cryptocurrency utilities. Furthermore, Apple prides itself on better security than other platforms like PCs.
With PCs, there is literally no check in cryptocurrency mining. You can easily infect your mining setup by downloading cryptocurrency mining utilities like plugins which can be attached with a malware. These ransomwares not only steal money from naïve users but also exhaust the hardware components.
Coinhive – A Major Culprit
Research done by security analysts in the crypto space for ransomware removal found Coinhive, one of the most popular cryptocurrency mining service as a major culprit for ransomwares. Coinhive has been alleged to use a Javascript script on websites and advertisements that carry malicious code with the ability to siphon off valuable computing resources. These resources are then used to mine a popular cryptocurrency, Monero.
Apple may not be the only one to ban cryptocurrency mining apps. Apple’s chief rival Google may also follow it. There are concerns raised in the Android community regarding the threat of ransomware and the use of ransomware removal strategies to save Android’s users from any future ransomware threats.
