For the small business owner, every tech decision is made based on a variety of factors. Two of the biggest factors include price and return on investment. For small business owners who choose to use Apple products (including Mac desktops, laptops, iPhones, and iPads) the generally higher price is offset by different features, programs, and traits that provide the business with a higher return. One of those features is the fact that Apple products are, historically, less susceptible to malware attacks.
It is possible that this is about to change.
New Malware Campaign Discovered
According to a
November 5, 2014 New York Times report, there is a new malware campaign causing havoc for Apple users. Called WireLurker, the malware is currently only found in China but has the potential to spread to other parts of the world. Once the malware is downloaded (usually through an infected application), it starts to steal information (such as your address book and text messages). It also listens for any USB connections to other iOS devices. When that connection is made, it quickly spreads to the new device and continues with its malicious actions.
The malware was first reported to Apple by
Palo Alto Networks, a Silicon Valley research company. However, though Palo Alto Networks has published the most extensive report on WireLurker to date, the company admits to not knowing the endgame of its creator(s). All that is known at this point is that the malware is being continuously updated. This leads researchers to believe that a larger scale attack is lurking on the horizon.
Protect Your Small Business From Malware Attacks
Fortunately, at this point, it is still possible to avoid infection. For this reason, it extremely important that you implement an
anti-virus policy for all your employees (or remind them of its existence). The policy should instruct them on safe Internet practices that protect your company's hardware and its information. To specifically protect any and all Apple devices from WireLurker, remember to follow these 2 important steps:
- Never download any applications from an unknown, untrusted, or third party app site. Currently, WireLurker has only been discovered in China's popular Maiyadi App Store. So far it has been discovered in 467 applications, which have been downloaded over 356,100 times.
- Never connect your device to an unknown or untrusted device. This includes smartphones and/or tablets to an unknown computer. You never know if that device has already been infected.
While cyber criminals and hackers will continuously work to create new malware that can steal your information and destroy your devices, by following smart and safe Internet practices you can help protect your small business from any malicious attacks. If you are worried that you have already been infected by some sort of malware,
call your Digity tech adviser today. He can make sure that nothing has wormed its way into your system.