Apple is fighting back against the attempts by lawmakers in the US and Europe to allow for apps to be allowed to be installed using side loading on the iPhone.
The company has released a new document which says that it would be bad for consumers to have apps side loaded which do not go through the same processes as apps in their App store.
Apple is looking to main control over its ecosystem on the iPhone any app on an iPhone or iPad has to be downloaded from their app store.
Today, it is extremely rare for any user to encounter malware on iPhone.5 Some have suggested that we should create ways for developers to distribute their apps outside of the App Store, through websites or third-party app stores, a process called “sideloading.” Allowing sideloading would degrade the security of the iOS platform and expose users to serious security risks not only on third-party app stores, but also on the App Store. Because of the large size of the iPhone user base and the sensitive data stored on their phones – photos, location data, health and financial information – allowing sideloading would spur a flood of new investment into attacks on the platform. Malicious actors would take advantage of the opportunity by devoting more resources to develop sophisticated attacks targeting iOS users, thereby expanding the set of weaponized exploits and attacks – often referred to as a “threat model” – that all users need to be safeguarded against. This increased risk of malware attacks puts all users at greater risk, even those who only download apps from the App Store.
This allows them to have control over the apps to ensure they are safe and don’t have malware, but it also allows them to control revenue of these apps.
Source Apple
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
