Apple complicates app sideloading in iOS 9 for increased security

full articlePosted on 11 September 2015.Making things easier for users is generally a good idea, but sometimes complicating a process could lead to increased security, and should be the preferred option.

A blog post by Lookout Product Manager David Richardson has brought to my attention something that I wasn't aware of: the process for sideloading apps in iOS 9 has been changed to make it less likely for tech unsavvy users to be hit by malware.

"Sideloading is the act of downloading an app to a device [...] without going through the official App Store. Many people don’t realize it, but you can download apps via links or websites on iPhones and iPads as long as they are signed by an iOS enterprise developer certificate," he explained, adding that while sideloading is a great way for enterprises to distribute homegrown apps, the process has also been misused in the past by attackers - they would buy enterprise certificates from the black market, and use them to sign malware.