iOS Security: Are You Safe? - BulletProof Your iPhone

Smartphones have transformed our lives, made it easier to communicate, be entertained and informed, and have even helped to provide more than 17 million jobs to the worldwide economy.

HOW SECURE IS YOUR SMARTPHONE?

But as smartphones and operating systems become more complicated, and hackers look for new ways to exploit personal data from their victims, it has never been more important to keep your smartphone and your data secure. Apple designed its iOS operating system with “security at its core”, but has the company done enough to protect its customers against potential hackers and damage?

Speaking to the International Business Times website, James Maude, the senior security engineer at security firm Avecto, said that iOS is still a secure smartphone operating system. “Apple maintains tight control over the entire ecosystem, from the hardware and OS to screening the apps and accessories,” he said. “Although there have been occasional issues, these are much easier to deal with as one company owns and manages the entire system.”

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why Apple has managed to fend off hackers is because its operating systems’ adoption rates are not the biggest. Indeed, iPhones and Macs are some of the world’s most popular technology products, but they have never had overall dominance of the market. Mac computers are much less likely to be subject to hacks and viruses, as the MacOS operating system has been much less widely adopted by businesses and individuals than Microsoft’s Windows. But as Apple continues to grow its mobile operating market share (Apple’s iPhone accounted for 33% of all mobile activations in the last quarter of 2016), the operating system is becoming increasingly attractive to hackers and attackers.

THE THREATS ASSOCIATED WITH SMARTPHONE SECURITY