Avast | TechRadar June

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While iPhones and iPads are generally among the most secure devices available, there’s a new potential threat that you need to be aware of. Recently there’s been a surge in MFA bombing, otherwise known as an MFA attack, a new phishing scam after your iCloud password. We’ll be teaching you the signs and how to stay safe should it happen to you. Multi-factor authentication fatigue attacks are a surge of notifications informing users that there’s an issue with their password. It’s a two-pronged approach of a cyber and psychological attack in which the notifications come in rapidly. Initially, you may press “Don’t allow” as you should, however, as the pop-ups refuse to disappear, you may be inclined to “allow” and that’s where the trouble begins. That’s because you then may receive a phone call from an ‘Apple support representative’ when it is instead someone fraudulently pretending to be. They would then have access to your phone number in an attempt to phish for more of your personal information to gain access to your iCloud account. In a worst-case scenario, the attackers would send a single-use code to the phone number, which if given over, could see you locked out of your account entirely, putting you at a serious risk.

It’s made more convincing by the fact that this phishing scam works by spoofing an official-looking Apple support number which may make you more inclined to answer the call. To keep safe, we recommend continuing to press “Don’t allow” until the notifications cease and to report them immediately. Secondly, remember to never give out any personal or sensitive information over the phone if something doesn’t feel right, as in these instances.

Keep all your devices extra secure with Avast Antivirus

Attackers are always adapting and evolving their ways to try and steal your valuable data but you can stay one step ahead by utilising Avast's vast suite of antivirus products. You can minimize the chances of attack with advanced safety features such as device security, built-in password protection, VPN, and a host of other security and privacy features. Your best bet is to consider Avast One which offers encompassing protection for your iOS device as well as Android, Mac and Windows. While the basic tier is free and grants access to the VPN, the best level of protection can be found with the Avast One Silver and Avast One Gold packages. Avast One Silver – Device Protection can be bought for just £32.49 the first year, which works out to only £2.71 a month for the first year, and covers up to three devices all on one account. With this software enabled, Avast One Silver acts as a bodyguard in your inbox to block suspicious emails straight at the source as well as providing an extra layer of protection when shopping and banking online, where your payment information could be most at risk.

With that said, we recommend Avast One Gold for the greatest level of protection. This tier is available for just £69.99 (amounting to only £5.83 a month) for the first year. As well as the aforementioned benefits from the Avast One Silver - Device Protection, you’ll also receive coverage on up to five devices including iOS as well as Mac, Windows, and Android, too, which can help keep the family secure under one unified account. Avast One Gold is one of the best ways to help protect against the new MFA bombings as it features instant alerts if your passwords have been breached, and can detect suspicious scam messages on your phone at the source. Additionally, the VPN gets supercharged with unlimited data usage and over 50 server locations which create an encrypted tunnel when browsing online, effectively making you anonymous. It will even clear up old files and help your devices run faster, too.

Apple users are being targeted by MFA bombings

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