Smartphones are increasingly being used as mobile wallets.
That's why cybersecurity experts believe mobile payment systems are likely to
be the next big target for cybercriminals. Security experts believe another
prominent technique will be ransomware -- malware that takes control of a
user's device and data, relinquishing it only if the user pays money.
So far, the vast majority of mobile malware has infected
smartphones that run Google's Android operating system and some experts say iPhone users shouldn't rest assured. Though Apple is very restrictive about allowing third-party apps to communicate
with other software, that also makes antivirus apps less potent to defend
against Web-based attacks.
"Apple's 'walled garden' approach makes it difficult
for third parties to protect it," said Tom Kellerman, head of
cybersecurity at Trend Micro (TMICY)and former commissioner of President
Obama's cybersecurity council. "We will see many more viable attacks on
iOS, because hackers know that the wealthiest people tend to own Apple devices.
The walled garden will ultimately fall."
Kellerman added that malware will soon be written
specifically for the iPhone, just as there are now more attacks targeted
directly at Apple's Mac computer.
In addition to smartphones, cybercriminals will also be
after the growing "Internet of things" -- an emerging world in which everything
is connected online.
