Kaspersky Lab: The growing popularity of Apple has led to an increase in cybercriminals' interest in OS X and iOS operating systems. This poses a threat to users' data, privacy, and money.
A study by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International found that one in four Mac users have faced a malware threat in the past 12 months. The study also found that 21% of these cyberattacks resulted in financial losses, including the cost of purchasing system recovery software or using IT services to neutralize the infections.
Wirelurker ofmalware designed specifically to target Apple products. Six months before its discovery, the Trojan had been downloaded over 356,000 times via an alternative app store, so it could have infected a significant number of computers. What makes Wirelurker unique is that it exploited a previously unknown vulnerability to spread to Apple devices running iOS software that were connected to an infected computer.
The Trojan could even infect non-jailbroken devices to download apps from third-party sources. The result was that users of OS X, which was generally considered safe from malware attacks, inadvertently infected devices running iOS, which was also considered safe.
However, viruses and other types of malware are not the only threats to Apple device users. Network attacks and online fraud, for example, do not require the installation of malware on the attacked device. Phishing is one of these threats.
Interestingly, the percentage of OS X users who have experienced financial threats is even higher than the general population who have experienced financial threats. 51% of users with computers running OS X said they had experienced financial threats in the past year. Among all users, this percentage had risen to 43%. The statistics are supported by data collected by the Kaspersky Security Network. Of all OS X phishing attacks detected by Kaspersky Lab in the period November 2013 – October 2014, 44% were aimed at stealing financial data. In other environments, the percentage of financial phishing was 26%.
OS X users should also be aware of other threats that target multiple operating systems, such as vulnerabilities in programs installed on their devices. For example, the ShellShock, which was disclosed in September 2014, allows cybercriminals to execute any code, even malicious, on a computer.
If cybercriminals discover these security holes before anyone else, they have the opportunity to exploit the vulnerability for malicious purposes before the operating system manufacturer can fix the problem.
In other words, no system can be considered completely safe from digital threats, which is why additional tools are required to ensure online security. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac, which is integrated into the Kaspersky Internet Security – Multi-Device 2015 solution, offers effective protection against malware and blocks network and phishing attacks.
