Why your iPhone will inevitably be attacked by a virus

HEY Apple fans, don't think your phones are safer than anyone else's. A leading security experts says iPhones don't have proper protection and it's only a matter of time before they're attacked.

The CEO of security firm Kaspersky says Apple iPhones are most vulnerable to viruses and malware.

APPLE iPhone users may boast that their devices are safer from malware and viruses than their competitors but the CEO of one of the world's largest internet security companies says that's about to change dramatically.

Google's mobile operating system, Android may be most susceptible to viruses, with 92 per cent of malware targeting Android devices according to a study by Juniper Networks. Android is an open source platform which means that its code is available to external developers (and really anyone that wants to access it). This allows them to develop apps, change the look and feel of the operating system, and fix buggy apps on behalf of their original creators.

However, it also means exploitation opportunities are ripe for the picking. More than 200,000 pieces of Android malware were discovered by security company Trustwave Holdings last year.

But security expert Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of the company with the same name, says that iPhone users shouldn't be resting on their laurels because unlike Android which sells antivirus programs for mobile, iPhones don't have true protection.

Because Apple's iPhone runs on a closed system that is controlled entirely by the company, its secretive approach to programming makes iPhone even more vulnerable than Android once its security is hacked.

"The most dangerous scenario, I am afraid, is with iPhones," Mr Kaspersky told the Wall Street Journal. "It's less probable because it is very difficult to develop malware for iPhones, because the (operating) system is closed (to external programmers). But every system has a vulnerability. If it happens - in the worst case scenario, if millions of the devices are infected - there is no antivirus, because antivirus companies don't have any rights to develop true endpoint security (for Apple)."

Kaspersky says Apple needs to be more open to antivirus companies so that it can help avoid catastrophic viruses from penetrating its customers' phones and causing mass outages and extortion attempts.

Similarly when flaws are found in its system by end users, Kaspersky says that the company needs to respond more quickly to threats.

Apple has been contacted for comment.