iOS mobile malware analysis: a state-of-the-art

In earlier years, most malware attacks were against Android smartphones. Unfortunately, for the past few years, the trend has shifted towards attacks against the Apple iOS smartphone. Consequently, an in-depth analysis of the malware and iOS architecture is important to identify the best mitigation solution against malware exploitation. Hence, this paper presents a state-of-the-art deep analysis of malware against iOS smartphones. This includes comprehensive studies of malware architecture involving payload, propagation, operating algorithm, infection, and activation with underlying integration with a phylogenetic concept. Phylogenetic, borrowed from the biology field, can identify any evolution of the origin of the malware involved. To support this deep analysis of malware, a preliminary study was conducted using 12 malware samples, by focusing on social media and online banking. This took place in a controlled laboratory using hybrid analysis. The result showed that there is a way to identify the evolution of malware and as a result, a model has been developed. Based on the evaluation, 4% of mobile applications matched the patterns developed in this model. This proves that the model developed in this paper can detect any possible security exploitation related to social media and online banking for iOS mobile applications. This work can be used as guidance for other researchers working on similar interests in the future.