Security experts predict rise in cyber threats against Apple devices in 2016

Security firm Symantec expects cyber attacks against Apple products to rise in 2016, after malware attacks against iOS and Mac OS X spiked sharply this year.

"A rising number of threat actors have begun developing malware designed to infect devices running Mac OS X or iOS," said Dick O'Brien, a Symantec researcher.

According to Symantec's research, malware aimed at iOS doubled in 2015, while the number of Mac computers infected in 2015 was seven times greater than 2014.

O'Brien and Symantec released a 30 page analysis on the state of Apple security and vulnerability to cyber attack earlier this week.

The report noted that cyber attacks against iOS and OS X were "quite low" when compared to the company's main competitors — Android in mobile and Windows for desktop computing — but that the "level of Apple-related malware infections has spiked, particularly in the past 18 months."

O'Brien also speculates that Apple Pay could be a target of cybercriminals in 2016, given the financial incentive to finding a vulnerability in the system.

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35 Comments

Soli

said about 8 years ago

1) Was there literally none until June 2014, or did they include a half-a-year where they had no data to make the "spike" look more threatening?

2) I'm curious was constitutes malware by their definition.

3) I'd think the percentage of devices that have been breached would be a useful metric.

4) I really wish the "Contrary to some beliefs, the Mac OS X environment is not free from malware," argument would end. I've only ever ever hear that argument from people that a) hate Apple, and b) never used an Apple product.

redefiler

said about 8 years ago

"And make sure you press people keep checking back with us, as much as you can in 2016! It's not like the extra hype hurts our business!"
-Symantec

redefiler

said about 8 years ago

"I heard the term 'threat actors' in a spy movie, and it sounds so much scarier than hacker."
-Dick @ Symantec

redefiler

said about 8 years ago

"Apple Pay could be a target of cybercriminals. They could even be hiding underneath Apple Watch Docks."
-Dick @ Symantec

boltsfan17

said about 8 years ago

Soli said:

1) Was there literally none until June 2014, or did they include a half-a-year where they had no data to make the "spike" look more threatening?

2) I'm curious was constitutes malware by their definition.

3) I'd think the percentage of devices that have been breached would be a useful metric.

4) I really wish the "Contrary to some beliefs, the Mac OS X environment is not free from malware," argument would end. I've only ever ever hear that argument from people that a) hate Apple, and b) never used an Apple product.

I'm curious if they are counting the Xcode malware in their figures? You can't blame Apple for that when developers shouldn't have been dowloading Xcode from a non Apple website.