Cyber-criminals turn focus to Apple and Android devices – report


8 Jun 2012

Cyber-criminals are increasingly turning their attention away from their traditional domain of Windows products toward Apple and Android devices as usage of these products increases, Symantec’s intelligence report for May reveals.

Mobile threats have increased three-fold from the same period last year, with Android devices increasingly becoming the target of attacks, as cyber-criminals seek new ways to exploit areas they haven’t traditionally targeted.

Cyber attackers have also shifted their focus to hitting Apple Macs en masse with the arrival of the botnet Flashback, which has successfully infiltrated 600,000 computers.

They are also leveraging the upcoming Olympic Games in London, as shown by Olympic-related spam becoming more common.

Spam levels have also increased for the first time this year, with two-thirds of email traffic now identified as spam.

Symantec’s intelligence report also looks at W32.Flamer, the latest piece of malware to have emerged. Many have likened its threat to Stuxnet and Duqu.

Symantec has found W32.Flamer to be the most complex piece of malware ever created.

Initial analysis suggests W32.Flamer is far more likely to be an advanced espionage tool, capable of infiltrating computers and gleaning huge reams of data.

Flamer