Apple hits back at malware in China

Apple Inc has begun blocking malicious software aimed at users of its products in China.

The iPhone maker announced the steps following a report on Thursday by security service provider Palo Alto Networks Inc about WireLurker, a new type of malware designed to steal information from applications running on Apple's OS X operating system for laptops and computers, and mobile devices with iOS.

Products by Cupertino, California-based Apple are considered less vulnerable to viruses and hacks compared with other computers, such as those running Microsoft Corp's Windows. While the burden of detecting and preventing security threats is now increasingly handled within computer networks, there are still threats that can reach individual devices.