An umbrella term used to describe any malicious software. Traditionally, the target of most malware attacks has been personal computers that run Windows or Apple operating systems. But now malware is being increasingly targeted at mobile devices that run Android and iOS. In August 2016, Pegasus malware was discovered on iOS (iPhones) that could read text messages, track calls, collect passwords and track phone locations. The malware could also intercept data from other apps, such as Gmail and Viber. The proliferation of mobile malware is a worrying trend. Numerous studies have shown that users are more likely to download malware infected apps and click on malware infected weblinks because of the smaller screen sizes. Malware infections on end-user systems are often the starting point of further attacks since login credentials for email accounts and network servers can be harvested using malware – thus giving attackers the keys to the kingdom as it were.

An umbrella term used to describe any malicious software. Traditionally, the target of most malware attacks has been personal computers that run Windows or Apple operating systems. But now malware is being increasingly targeted at mobile devices that run Android and iOS. In August 2016, Pegasus malware was discovered on iOS (iPhones) that could read text messages, track calls, collect passwords and track phone locations. The malware could also intercept data from other apps, such as Gmail and Viber. The proliferation of mobile malware is a worrying trend. Numerous studies have shown that users are more likely to download malware infected apps and click on malware infected weblinks because of the smaller screen sizes. Malware infections on end-user systems are often the starting point of further attacks since login credentials for email accounts and network servers can be harvested using malware – thus giving attackers the keys to the kingdom as it were.