What's new

Malicious Apps?

SterlingRex

New Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2012
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
I'm a newb to the iPhone, but not to Android.
I don't want to cause bad press for an app when the mistake is mine, so if it's found to be the case, I hope a mod will delete this thread.
However, I've been downloading a lot of apps and this morning I got a continuous Safe Mode situation. I installed CrashReporter but couldn't get the offending app that easily.
After coming home from work I went through toggling each substrate add-ons via SBSettings and located the app. It's listed as "AW-Open". I looked it up in Cydia, and not only is this not an app that I downloaded, but it's also not listed in Cydia as having been loaded. in other words, I don't know how it got there, nor do I appear to have a way to uninstall it.

Could this be malicious? How can I get rid of it manually? I admit to being an app fiend, but I do know that I definitely did not knowingly download this app.

Thanks, all.
 
You should probably post this in the hacking or jail break forum so more people with hacked phones will see it.
 
SterlingRex said:
I'm a newb to the iPhone, but not to Android.
I don't want to cause bad press for an app when the mistake is mine, so if it's found to be the case, I hope a mod will delete this thread.
However, I've been downloading a lot of apps and this morning I got a continuous Safe Mode situation. I installed CrashReporter but couldn't get the offending app that easily.
After coming home from work I went through toggling each substrate add-ons via SBSettings and located the app. It's listed as "AW-Open". I looked it up in Cydia, and not only is this not an app that I downloaded, but it's also not listed in Cydia as having been loaded. in other words, I don't know how it got there, nor do I appear to have a way to uninstall it.

Could this be malicious? How can I get rid of it manually? I admit to being an app fiend, but I do know that I definitely did not knowingly download this app.

Thanks, all.

It's not in Cydia because it's not a tweak or an app. Not everything on your phone is an app. 99% of your phone is objective-C code. Not apps. And I think you mean "tweaks"......not apps. Cydia had a very small number of apps. Almost everything is tweaks. I don't know what it is..... But did you know you can see "exactly" what is being installed by a tweak in Cydia? Every tweak that goes in Cydia must show what it's installing.

When you open Cydia, and go to any tweaks info page, there is a tab somewhere on that page called "File System Content".

Open that tab, and it shows everything that is within the tweaks deb file that is being installed. Check that out.

And you don't go into Safe Mode because of a "malicious" file. You go into safe mode because of some type of incompatibility....usually with a tweak or a tweaks dependency. Safe Mode does nothing but protect you from your phone crashing. That's all it does....and literally nothing else.

Plus, the crash logs, log failed processes. That's it. You seriously think everything in those crash logs are "apps"?
 
Last edited:
Hi, and welcome to the forum.

First, I moved your thread to the Jail breaking section. This will aid in getting more experienced eyes on your issue.

Now, for your issue: It sounds as if you have a tweak installed (from Cydia) that is either not behaving well with other tweaks you have installed or is not compatible with your iPhone itself. Think back to when you first started seeing this constant Safe Mode ... and see if you can remember what tweak you installed just before the phone started acting up.

If you can't remember, please list your installed tweaks so that maybe one of the experts here can look and maybe find the one that is making your phone "misbehave."

Thanks.

Marilyn
 
The process you mention, AW-Open, is a free application in the Cydia store that will automatically connect your iPhone to any available wi-fi networks in your range, it is in no way malicious. If you didn't download it directly that means that you downloaded a different application that lists AW-Open as a "dependency" which means it will automatically be downloaded and installed.
 
Thank you, Jmills87. This was closer to what I figured was the case. I further researched the TWEAK to discover that it is indeed what you describe, and that it also does have a history of not playing well with others.
I had uninstalled the last dozen things to no avail, as the problem began very recently. Ultimately, as I stated, I was able to isolate which tweak it was, and have since systematically reinstalled the apps & tweaks I had uninstalled to troubleshoot. I've tried each of those and they do not fail due to an apparent dependancy upo AW-Open.
I have dozens of apps installed, as well as tweaks, which I have not fully explored. I'm assuming that when I go to use the one that calls upon AW-Open the problem will either present itself again, or the app/tweak won't work because I've shut that off, correct?

Zig9449, with the utmost gratitude to you, please forgive my ignorance.
 
Top