iOS threats have doubled over the past two years, claims Symantec research

The number of threats affecting iOS devices has increased considerably in the past few years. A report published by Symantec states that a growing number of attackers have begun to target Apple operating systems, with the amount of infections and new malware threats increasing over the past two years. According to the report, the number of iOS malware threats discovered to date, though small in number, has begun to increase, with seven new threats discovered to date in 2015, up from the previous high of three in 2014. In addition,  of the 13 iOS threats documented by Symantec to date, nine can only infect jailbroken devices. Reportedly, Mac OS X threats rose by 15 percent in 2014, while the number of iOS threats discovered this year has more than doubled. The number of unique OS X computers infected with malware in the first nine months of 2015 alone was seven times higher than in all of 2014. Symantec advises that iOS or OS X device users should use a robust security suite and keep it updated. They should also keep the operating system and all other software up-to-date. The majority of iOS threats target jailbroken devices and unofficial app stores are more likely to host Trojanized apps. One should only install software from reputable sources as some third-party OS X app stores have been found to host Trojanised software.