The fact that its products Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), have been immune to malware has begun to be questioned, as security industry reports in recent months clearly show increased interest from cybercriminals on OS X and iOS devices.
"OS X and iOS users were relatively vulnerable to malware compared to Windows users. However, both Apple operating systems are gaining in popularity among users, and thus are beginning to be viable targets for cybercrime, "said Bogdan Botezatu, senior malware analyst at Bitdefender.
Lately, it has been observed that these platforms have become more attractive to various types of attacks, not just for financial incentives.
Ad revenue and espionage
Τον Αύγουστο, μια έρευνα αποκάλυψε ότι μια απειλή που ονομάστηκε AdThief είχε μολύνει περίπου 75.000 συσκευές iOS, καταφέρνοντας έχει έσοδα 22 εκατομμύρια δολάρια από διαφημίσεις. Οι χρήστες των συσκευών δεν επηρεαζόταν άμεσα από αυτό, αλλά οι προγραμματιστές της applicationς του iOS κέρδιζαν εκατομμύρια.
According to the analysis, AdThief existed from December 10 2014, and drew the attention of security researchers in March of 2014 when about 22.000 daily malware activations were observed.
In this case, malware only worked on jailbroken devices, which do not benefit from Apple's inherent security constraints.
In September, researchers at FireEye announced that malware called XSLCmd had "switched" from Windows to OS X. The malware's goal was to steal data from the infected computer.
According to the data, it was created by a group called Gref for spying activity, which, based on historical information, is believed to be operated by 2009.
Another Trojan was revealed by Lacoon Mobile Security experts at the end of September. The malware, called Xsser mRAT, is designed for the iOS platform, and according to the security firm, is the work of the Chinese governments.
It was found on a server hosted by its Android counterpart, and served in Hong Kong to protesters in favor of democracy under the guise that it is an application that will help them better coordinate the demonstrations.
Like AdThief, the Xsser mRAT only worked on jailbroken devices, and sent information to the administration and control server for the infected phone, such as operating system version, MAC address, IMSI and IMEI, phone number and information from your SIM card.
Mac hits and infections in non-jailbroken iPhones
Ο Σεπτέμβριος ήταν ασυνήθιστα παραγωγικός στις εκθέσεις σχετικά με το κακόβουλο λογισμικό που είναι φτιαγμένο για τα προϊόντα της Apple, καθώς ο Doctor Web, προηδοποίησε για την ύπαρξη ενός botnet with OS X systems infected by iWorm.
According to telemetry data, connections from more than one 17.000 unique IP address were recorded. This does not reflect the actual number of infected computers, since there are dynamic IPs, and therefore an infected computer can connect to the administration and control server with different IPs.
Τον Οκτώβριο, είδαμε άλλη μια άλλη report σχετικά με μια νέα απειλή για OS Χ. Οι ερευνητές της Kaspersky την ονόμασαν Ventir και ήταν ένα εργαλείο ανοικτού κώδικα που αναπτύχθηκε για να υποκλέπτει πληκτρολογήσεις.
According to recent news in November, Palo Alto Networks, in November, discovered WireLurker, an impressive malware targeting users from China. Malware strikes devices with OS X and is served on iOS via a USB connection. It attacks even non-jailbroken devices.
Researchers expect more malware
Clearly, there is real interest in Apple products from criminals.
"Most of the cybercriminals are focused on making money, and Apple systems are usually vulnerable, which in turn makes Mac and iOS malware a lucrative business. "We look forward to seeing more of these shit shit over the next year," Botezatu said.
Other researchers agree that malware for Apple products is a reality, and that WireLurker is the perfect example of their argument, according to Christian Funk, Kaspersky's senior security researcher.
He says the chances of infecting an unprotected Mac system have increased by three percent in the first eight months of 2014, as 25 appeared to have different malware families on the Apple platform.
Apple's users are faced with a tough reality. Their devices have become a target, and Apple's security measures prove to be no longer 100% effective, even for non-jailbroken devices.
