A report from Bitdefender LABS this week and reported on by Ars Technica and some Apple news sites that the X Agent malware or virus payload can now target victims running Mac OS X to steal passwords, grab screens and steal iPhone backups stored on the Mac.

This modular backdoor with advanced cyber-espionage capabilities is most likely planted on the system via the Komplex downloader.

Once successfully installed, the backdoor checks if a debugger is attached to the process. If it detects one, it terminates itself to prevent execution. Otherwise, it waits for an Internet connection before initiating communication with the C&C servers. After the communication has been established, the payload starts the modules.

The analysis reveals the presence of modules that can probe the system for hardware and software configurations, grab a list of running processes and run additional files, as well as get desktop screenshots and harvest browser passwords.

But the most important module, from an intelligence-gathering perspective, is the one that allows the operator(s) to exfiltrate iPhone backups stored on a compromised Mac."

So technically that would make your iPad Pro data open to attack if you backup your data via iTunes. So technically Apple's latest iPad commercial would be Fake News, something that Apple wants to save the world from. Am I the only one who sees the irony is this?

New iPad Pro Promo: iPad Pro – No PC Viruses – Apple

Fortune also posted a report last year titled "This Nasty New Malware Can Infect Your Apple iPhone or iPad." Yes you can say they're rare, but technically they exist. In 2015 Forbes ran a story titled "Apple iOS Virus May Have Affected Almost 500 Apps, 2 Million Users." So in fact, Apple's iPad may be the safest of tablets for viruses on the market today to be sure, but to stretch that claim out to actually say that there are no viruses would be considered fake news, any way you look at Mr. Cook. And remember, don't argue with me, argue with Forbes and Fortune who are the mainstream press that you will trust in your new Fake News magic app. 

Apple's Other iPad Pro Ads Released Today

iPad Pro – Better than a Computer – Apple

iPad Pro – Don't Don't hunt for Wi-Fi – Apple

iPad Pro — Do more with Word — Apple

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