A new app clone grifter shows App Store’s weakness

The App Store page for a clone of 1Password, a popular security app that stores login information.

A 1Password clone has snuck its way into the App Store with a near-perfect replica of the real deal's logo. The clone version retails for $1.99, $16 less than the price of 1 Password developer Agile Bits' original login-storing app. The clone looks to be of dubious origin, as do a handful of other cloned apps submitted by the same developer.

Apple's walled-garden system for its App Store is meant to prevent the more nefarious forms of activity that can happen in freer markets, like the malware or ad-spam apps found in the Google Play Store. But the method for approving apps for sale has always been a black box, and lately, that box seems particularly hospitable to clones.

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