Should Apple Users Take Security More Seriously?

Recent reports from the top security firms suggest that 2016 will be the year when Apple users are forced to take online security seriously as the myth that Macs do not contract viruses is finally exposed for what it is.

A researcher with security firm Symantec recently told BBC News:

“Apple remains a relatively safe platform but Apple users can no longer be complacent about security”

Although the number of security threats targeting Apple devices remains comparatively low compared to those targeting Windows or Android devices, there is still the uncomfortable truth that the volume of Malware being written to target Apple’s iPhones and iPads has doubled over the past 12 months. Even Mac computers have received an increasing number of attacks according to Symantec and FireEye. Bryce Boland, the Asia Pacific CTO of FireEye is quoted as saying:

“Malware authors are increasingly finding ways into Apple’s walled garden, and that will ramp up next year”

Whenever I read a trusted report from an expert that involves a chilling headline, I make it a point of asking myself, “What do they gain from making me nervous?”. On this occasion, the experts behind the warning are also the ones that want me to buy their security product, so it’s important to put things into perspective.

I admit that these threats have doubled in the past year and we definitely need to recognize that Apple devices are not as bulletproof or their operating systems as impenetrable as some would like us to believe. However, it’s worth remembering that 96 percent of all mobile malware is still targeted at Google's Android operating system. 

Symantec indeed identified a series of new security threats aimed at Apple devices, but it’s primarily the users who have unlocked or jail-broken their Apple devices that are principally vulnerable. Earlier this year, many of you will recall the moment when Apple’s Chinese App store was targeted in an attack that affected the popular WeChat App. Despite Apple reacting quickly to avert a crisis by removing the threat, many customers had already downloaded it to their device.

The risks to Apple users remain significantly lower than those who prefer Windows or Android as their operating system of choice. Dick O'Brien, a researcher at Symantec says:

"This is far fewer than Windows desktops, and we don't want to scaremonger. Apple remains a relatively safe platform, but Apple users can no longer be complacent about security, as the number of infections and new threats rises"

Now that more and more people are embracing mobile payments whether it is through Apple Pay or Google Wallet, one thing is inevitable that these lucrative mobile centers of financial transactions will certainly be prime security targets. 2016 will most definitely see an increase in malware attacks across all platforms and the incredibly long list of the world’s biggest data breaches will only continue to grow. 

Source: https://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/worlds-biggest-data-breaches-hacks/

Whatever your device or OS of choice, we all need to exercise caution with how and what we are doing online. Not only just consumers but also businesses need to step up their game and move security to the top of their agenda – more perhaps than even the consumers. Hundreds of major business houses have now suffered severe data breaches in the past twelve months, some with large-scale damage, and customers have been considerably patient.

I hope that this attitude will change for the better substantially in 2016 as consumers demand companies they transact with to have impenetrable fortress class security online. Unfortunately, it remains the case that many CEOs still do not see the ROI from investing in top grade online security and it is therefore quite likely that many more businesses will fall victim to those unscrupulous hackers. 

What befuddles me is why these leaders still fail to realize that one lethal security breach or denial of service attack is all that it takes to completely shutter down the doors to their businesses for good. They can see this risk clearly in a physical brick and mortar store, but fail to see the threat as bigger or worse online.

When hurricane Sandy struck New York and New Jersey on October 29, 2012, many businesses lost electricity or experienced flooding for several days, forcing them to temporarily shut down for at least one to two weeks which is really all it took to permanently put the locks on these businesses forever. They had to be down just one to two weeks with a high cost of recovery despite some businesses receiving federal assistance, to succumb to mother nature and permanently throw in the towel.

An online security attack on many businesses that conduct a good bit of commerce online is no different from a major hurricane or twister. In fact it could likely be even worse than a hurricane or twister, with personal or financial customer data theft, leaving the business, the business owners, and its customers completely paralyzed for several months to come.

As an owner and operator of multiple businesses, I cannot think of a stronger ROI than not being shut down and cut off from the entire world. So perhaps we should focus on the greater overall increased security threat to consumers and businesses on both Apple as well as Windows and Android platforms and stop creating amplified fear-mongering content targeted only at Apple users.

In the end security is an issue on all devices and platforms and we are all in this together.

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