Fake bitcoin wallet apps have emerged in the Apple iTunes App Store, potentially putting bitcoin accounts at risk and reinforcing the need for people to make sure they are downloading apps from official wallet websites, according to Kyt Dotson, a senior editor at Silicon Angle . A representative of Breadwallet, a bitcoin app available in App Store and Google Play, has posted a notice on Reddit listing a number of fake bitcoin wallet apps in the iTunes App store, calling into question Apple’s vetting process. The fake apps have names similar to the official mobile wallet apps, but they can leave users vulnerable to having their accounts compromised. Use Official Wallet Websites The Reddit post noted Apple would hopefully disable the fake apps. In the meantime, wallet users are advised to use links provided on the wallets’ official websites rather than going through iTunes or Google Play. This way, a user can be sure the wallet app they want to download is the one intended to be downloaded. A fake “GreenAddress” wallet on iTunes, for example, has an ID number of “id1139753685.” When Silicon Angle went to GreenAddress’s website, it opens up a page for the official GreenAddress iOS app with a different ID number than the one in iTunes. The fake GreenAddress wallet also says that it is from “Green Address,” but the official GreenAddress wallet lists “Jersey Studios” as its developer. Fake Breadwallet App Noted The Breadwallet Reddit post noted a fake app was added on July 29 that used the same name and icon as the official Breadwallet app. Apple did not remove the fake Breadwallet app until a few customers inadvertently downloaded the fake app and lost funds, despite the fact that Breadwallet had contacted Apple immediately. John Casaretto, the founder of BlackCert, an SSL […]
