Apple devices emerges favourite target of hackers

Apple devices had emerged as the favourite target of hackers, with the iPhone and iPad gaining popularity among consumers across the globe, including India, according to a report by security solutions firm Symantec.

The report added 2016 could see more attacks on the iOS platform that had been seen to be be ''free from malware'' in the past, it added.

''Apple devices have experienced a surge in popularity in recent years. According to IDC, the company now accounts for 13.5 per cent of global smartphone shipments and 7.5 per cent of global PC shipments. This increase in usage has not gone unnoticed by attackers. A rising number of threat actors have begun developing specific malware designed to infect devices running OS X or iOS,'' Symantec director Solutions Product Management (Asia Pacific and Japan) Tarun Kaura told PTI.

He added that even though threats targeting Apple operating systems remained low as compared to the company's main competitors like Windows and Android, the amount uncovered has grown steadily in recent years.

''In tandem with this, the level of Apple-related malware infections has spiked, particularly in the past 18 months. Should Apple's popularity continue to grow, it seems likely that these trends will continue in 2016. Apple users should not be complacent about security and change their perception that Apple devices are 'free from malware' – this perception opens up opportunities for cybercriminals to take advantage of these users,'' he said.

According to IDC, Apple devices had experienced a surge in popularity in recent years. Apple now accounted for 13.5 per cent of global smartphone shipments and 7.5 per cent of global PC shipments.

''This increase in usage has not gone unnoticed by attackers. A rising number of threat actors have begun developing specific malware designed to infect devices running Mac OS X or iOS,'' Symantec Director Solutions Product Management (Asia Pacific and Japan) Tarun Kaura told PTI.

He added that although the number of threats targetting Apple's operating systems remained quite low when compared to the company's main competitors like Windows and Android.

''In tandem with this, the level of Apple-related malware infections has spiked, particularly in the past 18 months.

Should Apple's popularity continue to grow, it seems likely that these trends will continue in 2016.

''Apple users should not be complacent about security and change their perception that Apple devices are free from malware. This perception opens up opportunities for cyber criminals to take advantage of these users,'' he said.