Apple iPhone’s first banking Trojan exposed

Group-IB, a network security business, has recently published new research. There is evidence of hackers initiating banking Trojan attacks targeting iPhone users. Apple’s mobile phones are undergoing this security test for the first time.

The investigation highlighted that hackers altered the GoldDigger Trojan, originally designed for Android, by introducing new features and extending its capability to target iOS devices.

Apple iPhone’s first banking Trojan exposed

Group-IB identified this new form of the Trojan in October 2023 and dubbed it GoldPickaxe.

GoldPickaxe infects iPhones and Android phones to gather facial recognition data, ID papers, and intercepted text messages, facilitating the theft of money from banks and financial apps.

Furthermore, the biometric data is utilized to generate artificial intelligence deepfakes that mimic the victim and gain entry into their bank account.

GoldPickaxe is currently operational in Vietnam and Thailand, but its perpetrators are now broadening their scope to include iPhone and Android users in the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking nations.