Apple said it is cleaning up its iOS App Store to remove malicious iPhone and iPad programmes identified in the first large-scale attack on the popular mobile software outlet.

The company disclosed the effort after several cyber security firms reported finding a malicious programme dubbed XcodeGhost that was embedded in hundreds of legitimate apps, according to a Reuters report.

The hackers embedded the malicious code in apps by convincing developers of legitimate software to use a tainted, counterfeit version of Apple's software for creating iOS and Mac apps, which is known as Xcode, Apple said.