Jamf, a company known for mobile device management solutions for Apple platforms, has warned in its annual security report about poor cyber hygiene among companies using macOS. The security situation in companies is “worrisome” because “threat actors are now using highly sophisticated attack methods”. Updates are installed too rarely or not quickly enough, and successful phishing attacks are occurring more and more frequently on mobile platforms such as the iPhone.
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No updates, mobile phishing
In its latest “Security 360” report, which reflects the status of the last quarter of 2023 and covers samples from 15 million desktops, tablets and smartphones across 90 countries, Jamf also writes of an increasing threat from Mac Trojans. These now make up around 17 percent of all malware products intended for the platform. In total, Jamf is currently tracking 300 malware families under macOS, and 21 new ones were discovered in 2023. However, there are significantly more malware under Windows and Android, which also appear in the report.
The poor update policy seems to be particularly problematic in companies. Jamf found that 39 percent of organizations in the report were running devices with known vulnerabilities. This also applied to 40 percent of mobile users overall. Attackers are particularly successful at phishing on iPhones etc.; the attempts there were 50 percent more successful than on macOS. However, many of the problems can be solved by a “back to the basics” – simply secure behavior, regular updates, good passwords and 2FA, writes Jamf.
Third-party app store problem?
In its report, Jamf also warns of the dangers of sideloading or third-party app stores, which will also be available on the iPhone in the future. “The intent behind accessing third-party app stores may be harmless, but they are often full of applications that mislead users with the express purpose of tricking them into downloading and running suspicious applications.” Jamf is following the argument that Apple has been pursuing for several years.
Another problem is the naive behavior of users. 57 percent of users believe that there is no malware for macOS – or at least they do not deny this statement.
(bsc)