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Criminal hackers are likely to increase their efforts on attacking Mac users, as Apple products and software continue to surge in popularity.

The economics of hacking are simple – the more people have the software or hardware you are producing malicious programs to attack, the more likely your chances of success, security experts claim.

Microsoft Windows has been the main target for hackers over recent years, due mainly to its popularity among PC users. However, rising sales of Apple computers, peripheries and software, such as the Leopard OS operating system, has caught the attention of malicious software programmers.

The 2008 Security Threat Report from IT security firm Sophos has revealed that organised crime has "arrived at Apple's doorstep with the intention of stealing money".

"Cyber-criminals have begun to notice consumers' growing attraction to Apple Macs during the past year," Mike Haro, senior security analyst at Sophos, told VNUnet.

"This trend has led to a number of viruses and malware created by hackers for the purpose of attacking consumers who purchase Mac computers."