gunner1954

dewme said:

The way the article is worded makes it sound like MacKeeper, MacBooster, and MplayerX are also malware. Is this true?

Yes, in a manner of speaking. MacKeeper, for one, use to send back loads of system information to a server WITHOUT user permission, warning or input. Whether the same is true now or is true of MacBooster or MplayerX I cannot say with certainty as I no longer use or have use for any of them.

steven n. said:

You didn't answer the question. 'if the app is in foreground then it is actively used. How would you distinguish between "intended" and "unintended" use?'

The way i see this: FarceBook (or Googley or Instagrammy or some other popular app) has this malicious code inserted. Instead of the camera activating ONLY when you make a face-to-face 'call' to a person in your contact list, the 'Facetime' camera ALSO activates while you are simply viewing your feed, reading news, or doing other 'stuff' that normally doesn't use the camera. Because the app is active, the camera is active and the camera is taking pictures/videos of you and uploading them to a secret server. Or maybe you are using a texting app that also allows you to snap a selfie and instantly send it to your significant other, but winds up on said 'secret server' to be leaked later for all the world to see. So, yes,, this could cause embarrassment, and yes, Apple should scan for this misuse of code during the app approval/update process.