The danger for businesses using Macs is real: in 2016, Kaspersky Lab detected 11.8 million cyber-attacks against Mac users. MacOS-specific malware, OS-agnostic phishing and “man in the middle” type of attacks can easily refute the false sense of security felt among Apple advocates. To save companies from their overconfidence in the secure nature of these devices, Kaspersky Lab has released a new generation of its Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud. It provides corporate Macs with cloud-based multilayered protection and gives service providers more automation and management capabilities.
Protecting from the real threat to Macs: Cybercriminals today are not put off by Apple platforms’ built-in security features. 2016-2017 has seen the emergence of new Mac threats: from the first known, entirely Mac-focused ransomware KeRanger in March 2016, to the ‘Fruitfly’ malware and the ‘Patcher’ ransomware in early 2017. This does not include targeted spam, phishing and social engineering threats aimed at people, not operating systems, which may leave MacOS security technologies helpless.
In fact, it’s the perceived immunity to cyberthreats that makes Macs an attractive target for more sophisticated malware developers. Criminals can use these less vulnerable, but typically unprotected systems to access the wider corporate network. It is therefore not only design studios, advertising agencies or start-ups where Macs dominate, which are in danger. Securing both Windows and Mac operating systems, along with mobile platforms, becomes a challenge for businesses with mixed IT environments.
