Show HN: First iOS app to use technique that finds latest variants of spyware

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  "text": "Background\nIn 2021, my iPhone was exploited with spyware (Pegasus) by a client of the NSO Group due to my employment at the time (i.e. I worked for a target organization). From there I began helping other at risk users identify when their iPhones were compromised via manual forensic analysis of their devices. Wanted to scale this manual forensic analysis to a wider audience to make it widely available to find more victims of spyware companies like NSO Group (Pegasus) and Cytrox (Predator) so created an app to do it called Am I Secure? that is on the App Store now. It is able to detect the latest variants of spyware (including those deployed against victims in April 2024). The app also performs a number of other security checks, more than any other iOS app.<p>Key Differentiator\nAll iOS apps operate within an &quot;app sandbox&quot;, a restricted space within iOS that limits an app to accessing only its own data and specific data a user has provided permission to, such as contacts or location data. This is to ensure security and privacy. Due to these restrictions, no iOS apps, including security focussed ones, are able to directly access the operating system and other data necessary to perform an analysis of the operating system for spyware or malware. While some iOS apps market themselves as antivirus solutions, unlike real antivirus solutions that run on Windows or macOS, they are not actually able to perform any traditional antivirus functions on iOS and these apps add little, if any, security value. Usually they just provide sketchy VPN and “identity protection” services while making it appear that they protect your device but with no actual device security at all and the web sites they block, if you do use their VPN, are all malicious sites targeting Windows, irrelevant to iOS security.<p>Am I Secure? bypasses the limitations of the app sandbox by having users of the app share iOS system diagnostic data with the app so access can be obtained. Without access to this data, no app can perform a proper analysis for spyware. Via the app, this data is then uploaded to our servers where it is analyzed and the results are reported back to the user within the app and, if spyware is found, to the email address tied to their account. No private user data such as messages or photos are contained within the system diagnostic data so user privacy is preserved. No other app is using this technique or analyzing actual system data.<p>Beyond detecting previously discovered and publicly known Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), the automated AI&#x2F;ML augmented analysis on our servers goes deeper. It looks for any anomalies in the submitted data versus what is expected from a &quot;known good&quot; iOS device as well as comparing against other submissions from across the user base. Any anomalies are then manually analyzed to detect new previously unknown IoCs. Looking for publicly known IoCs only finds yesterday&#x27;s spyware, spyware vendors rapidly change their spyware after public disclosure occurs to ensure prior IoCs are ineffective. Our analysis techniques though will continue to find spyware as the anomalies they leave change but continue to stand out.",
  "time": 1714676636,
  "title": "Show HN: First iOS app to use technique that finds latest variants of spyware",
  "type": "story",
  "url": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/am-i-secure/id6468312814"
}

{
  "author": "Numbers Station Inc",
  "date": "2025-04-04T04:00:13.000Z",
  "description": "Download Am I Secure? Antivirus Pro by Numbers Station Inc on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more games like Am I Secure?",
  "image": "https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/7f/25/55/7f255586-8f59-b85f-01c9-d26c559fb182/Placeholder.mill/1200x630wa.jpg",
  "logo": null,
  "publisher": "Apple",
  "title": "Am I Secure? Antivirus Pro App - App Store",
  "url": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/am-i-secure-antivirus-pro/id6468312814"
}

{
  "url": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/am-i-secure-antivirus-pro/id6468312814",
  "title": "Am I Secure? Antivirus Pro App - App Store",
  "description": "Detect malware & spyware now  Free · In‑App Purchases         Note: for the Government & Enterprise Edition, please search for Am I Secure? for Work here on the App Store. Am I Secure? offers the most...",
  "links": [
    "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/am-i-secure-antivirus-pro/id6468312814",
    "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/am-i-secure/id6468312814"
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  "image": "https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/7f/25/55/7f255586-8f59-b85f-01c9-d26c559fb182/Placeholder.mill/1200x630wa.jpg",
  "content": "<div>      <div>    <section>  <h2>Detect malware &amp; spyware now</h2>  <p>Free · In‑App Purchases</p> </section>       <section> <article><p><span>Note: for the Government &amp; Enterprise Edition, please search for Am I Secure? for Work here on the App Store.\nAm I Secure? offers the most advanced security scanning for those at the highest level of risk.  It performs more security checks than any other app.\nYour whole life is on your mobile device. Private messages, email, photos, contacts, financial information…everything a cyber attacker could possibly want. If you can read it or access it from your device, so can an attacker that has compromised it. Even private messages sent using an encrypted messaging app are readable. Sophisticated attackers can even covertly use your device’s microphone to listen to conversations you are having in the same room as the device and covertly take photos and video using the camera and physically track your movements via your device’s GPS location.\nAm I Secure? is the most comprehensive security solution for iOS.  Unlike basic security apps, Am I Secure? goes beyond surface-level checks. It is the only solution capable of deep forensic analysis to detect nation-state spyware and commercial surveillance tools used by authoritarian regimes.\nTo conduct an advanced security scan for malware, spyware and viruses, users initiate iOS’s built-in system diagnostic function, which collects critical data on the operating system and running processes. This data is securely shared with the Am I Secure? app and uploaded to our analyzer servers, where it undergoes AI-driven machine learning (AI/ML) analysis to detect potential threats. If anomalies are detected, our cybersecurity experts manually review them to determine whether they are benign or malicious. If a confirmed threat is found, the app updates the results and sends an email alert to guide the user through the necessary security actions.\nOur solution is the only one that goes beyond outdated, publicly known Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)—instead, we focus on anomaly detection. When attackers are exposed and their spyware’s IoCs become public, they quickly update their spyware to evade traditional detection methods. This renders signature-based solutions ineffective against new variants. In contrast, our anomaly-based analysis continuously identifies emerging spyware, ensuring detection even as attackers adapt.\nThe advanced security scanning feature requires a paid subscription available via in-app purchase.\nOther apps only check if your device’s iOS version is up to date and passcode is enabled and then declare it secure. Some provide a VPN service which can actually increase your risk by sending all of your communications to a 3rd party while not adding any real security value.\nUse Am I Secure? and obtain real insight into your device’s security status and learn what you can do to improve your security posture against even the most advanced cyber adversaries.\nTerms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/\n</span> </p> </article> </section> <section>      <ul><li><article> </article> </li> </ul> </section>  <section> <article><div><p><span>- support for Liquid Glass (part of iOS 26)\n- support for iPhone 17 series\n- improved sysdiagnose sharing process\n- minor tweaks and fixes</span> </p>  </div> </article> </section>  <section>   <ul><li><article> <h2>Data Linked to You</h2> <p>The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:</p> <ul><li> Diagnostics </li></ul>  </article> </li> </ul> </section>   <section>  <div>  <p></p><h2>Information</h2> <p></p></div>  <dl><ul><li>Seller <ul><li><p>Numbers Station Inc </p> </li> </ul> </li><li>Size <ul><li><p>16.7 MB </p> </li> </ul> </li><li>Category <ul><li><p>Utilities </p> </li> </ul> </li><li>Compatibility <details><summary>Requires iOS 16.0 or later.  <svg></svg></summary> <ul><li><p><strong>iPhone</strong><br />Requires iOS 16.0 or later. </p> </li><li> </li><li><p><strong>iPad</strong><br />Requires iPadOS 16.0 or later. </p> </li> </ul> </details> </li><li>Languages <details><summary>English and 8 more  <svg></svg></summary> <ul><li><p>English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish </p> </li> </ul> </details> </li><li>Age Rating <details><summary>4+  <svg></svg></summary> <ul><li><p>4+ </p> </li><li> </li><li> </li> </ul> </details> </li><li>In-App Purchases <details><summary>Yes  <svg></svg></summary> <ul><li><p><span>Advanced Threat Detection</span> <span>$9.99</span> </p> </li><li><p><span>Advanced Threat Detection</span> <span>$49.99</span> </p> </li><li><p><span>Advanced Threat Detection</span> <span>$24.99</span> </p> </li><li><p><span>Advanced Threat Detection</span> <span>$34.99</span> </p> </li><li> </li> </ul> </details> </li><li>Copyright <ul><li><p>© 2025 Numbers Station Inc. </p> </li> </ul> </li> </ul></dl> </section>    </div>   </div>",
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