Christmas could see a rise in Apple iOS phishing threats and banking malware, according to Trend Micro security researchers.
The firm’s third quarter Security Roundup Report predicts a rise in phishing sites targeting the operating systems, in addition to an increase in online banking malware.
Trend Micro technology and solutions VP JD Sherry said that as consumers gravitate to the convenience of online banking, criminals are developing tools at an exceedingly rapid pace to exploit a general lack of awareness.
"In addition, Apple has been traditionally perceived as a safe haven against threats, but our findings reveal that personal information can be jeopardised as phishing scams that target the platform continue to gain momentum," Sherry said.
"This evidence suggests a potential perfect storm looming in the holiday season as busy commercial and consumer users leverage mobile platforms."
The security firm revealed that Apple-related phishing sites remained constant all through Q3, with about 4,100 identified in June, 1,900 in August and 2,500 in the following month.
The increasing number raises concerns of potential new targets during the fourth quarter, as Apple is estimated to sell 31 million iPhones and 15 million iPads.
During the third quarter, about 200,000 malware infections that targeted online banking were identified, with the US topping the list of highly-targeted nations, accounting for about 25% of online banking malware infections globally, followed by Brazil (16%) and Japan (12%).
Within Europe, Germany and France experienced only 3% respectively.
In addition, the security firm also reported a rise in the level of complicated obfuscation methods deployed by threat actors and the new online banking Trojan called KINS, anti-debugging and anti-analysis routines was detected.
