With the various industries that Apple is dominating, there is no question that this year will lead to a massive increase in hackers targeting Macs.  After all, with the amount of hacks that have already been uncovered in the iPhone and iPod, it probably acts as a motivator for hackers and the like to start targeting Macs more often.  That in addition to the fact that more and more people are moving towards Macs, this will be the year where the Mac will be tested.

The Story: It’s not often that an analyst covering computer security issues tells you that he doesn’t do much to protect his systems. But one reputable analyst I know said just that as we talked about the rising threat of malware aimed at Apple’s hardware. I won’t mention his name, but the gentleman is dead wrong. The days when you can assume that Apple’s products are exempt from harm are over.

Is it time to panic? No, actual attacks against Macs and the rest of the Apple family, such as the iPhone, are still rare. But as the platform becomes more and more popular, hackers are gearing up to do damage. You’d better protect yourself.

“Most Mac users take security too lightly. In fact, most are quite proud of the fact that they don’t run any security at all,” says IDC analyst Chris Christiansen. “That’s an open door; at some point it will be exploited,” he says.[more]

Tags: Hackers