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Apple Pulls 26 Fake Crypto-Wallet Apps After Kaspersky Flags ‘FakeWallet’ Scheme

The operation shows how lookalike apps can pass review and harvest recovery phrases, exposing a gap in App Store defenses.

Overview

  • Kaspersky identified 26 wallet imitators on Apple’s China App Store and linked them to a single FakeWallet campaign tied to SparkKitty.
  • Apple removed the 26 listings after the disclosure.
  • The operators copied names and icons, used typos, and listed the apps as games or calculators to bypass Chinese restrictions.
  • The apps opened phishing pages that pushed trojan wallets via iOS provisioning profiles, a feature that lets companies load apps outside the store.
  • Malicious code captured seed phrases during setup or through fake checks, enabling instant wallet takeovers, and researchers warn the tooling could reach users worldwide.