As much as Apple like to brag about the little trouble it gets from hackers, I feel that is about to change pretty soon. Apple has been growing its small user base over the passed 10 years very quickly. Catchy marketing, sleek design, and the portrayed idea that Mac's don't get viruses, have been a hot selling point. In all honesty though, Mac's can get viruses, they have such a small market that a hacker really couldn't do much damage or make an impact..hence why Windows is so prone to viruses. Well, hackers are now focusing on going after the iPad. With as much of a hotseller that it is, it doesn't surprise me (I'm surprised you havn't heard anything about hackers targeting the iPhone). The hack works like this- You receive a notification that their is an iTunes update for your iPad. You click the link, go to an identical iTunes page (but is actually the hackers website), and you are able to download the "update". Once the update is installed on your iPad, you have just installed a trojan virus on your iPad that allows hackers to snag usernames and passwords to your accounts. Pretty sly. See the Telegraph article below:
iPad users targeted by hackers
"Security experts have warned that Apple iPad users are being targeted by cyber criminals. Hackers are trying to dupe iPad owners in to downloading a fake iTunes update on their Windows computer, which, when installed, creates a backdoor for cyber criminals, allowing them to remotely access the machine or even use the computer to send spam messages.
A dialog box pops up telling the user that a recent iTunes update has been released for the iPad. Users who click on a link are taken to a site that looks exactly like the iTunes download web page, but the file the user downloads is actually a Trojan that installs malicious code on the machine. The Backdoor. Bifrose. AADY virus tries to steal passwords and login details for email accounts and instant-messaging services. "The trick is pretty simple," said Catalin Cosoi, a senior researcher for BitDefender, which uncovered the scam. "They're clever to do it this way. If they were able to target Mac customers, it would have spread like wildfire, but because most antivirus companies detect this Trojan, it's aimed at Windows users who have bought an iPad and who also don't run a security product."
BitDefender has advised iPad owners not to click on any links that appear in dialog boxes or alerts, and to download iTunes directly from the Apple website. The company also emphasised that the iPad itself remained unaffected by the Trojan."
Link to article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7638376/iPad-users-targeted-by-hackers.html
iPad users targeted by hackers
"Security experts have warned that Apple iPad users are being targeted by cyber criminals. Hackers are trying to dupe iPad owners in to downloading a fake iTunes update on their Windows computer, which, when installed, creates a backdoor for cyber criminals, allowing them to remotely access the machine or even use the computer to send spam messages.
A dialog box pops up telling the user that a recent iTunes update has been released for the iPad. Users who click on a link are taken to a site that looks exactly like the iTunes download web page, but the file the user downloads is actually a Trojan that installs malicious code on the machine. The Backdoor. Bifrose. AADY virus tries to steal passwords and login details for email accounts and instant-messaging services. "The trick is pretty simple," said Catalin Cosoi, a senior researcher for BitDefender, which uncovered the scam. "They're clever to do it this way. If they were able to target Mac customers, it would have spread like wildfire, but because most antivirus companies detect this Trojan, it's aimed at Windows users who have bought an iPad and who also don't run a security product."
BitDefender has advised iPad owners not to click on any links that appear in dialog boxes or alerts, and to download iTunes directly from the Apple website. The company also emphasised that the iPad itself remained unaffected by the Trojan."
Link to article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7638376/iPad-users-targeted-by-hackers.html
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