The Websense Security Labs has recently spotted an interesting case of a phishing domain related to the imminent release of the Apple iOS7 Operating System.

As gossips circulate news in the wild about iOS7 after the D11 conference presented by Apple CEO Tim Cook, cybercriminals are setting up a foundation for phishing and malicious activities.

Websense has discovered the ransomware toolkit called "Silence Locker" is being used to generate malicious files to potentially lure money from victims.

Ransomware is an increasingly common type of malware that attempts to extort money from a computer user by infecting and taking control of the victim's machine, thereby taking the files or documents stored on it ‘hostage’. Typically, the ransomware will either 'lock' the computer to prevent normal usage, or encrypt the documents and files on it to prevent access to the saved data.

Jason Hill, Security Research, Websense said: “It comes as no surprise that the cybercriminals behind this particular iOS7-themed lure and ransomware campaign are utilising kits in order to build and track their campaign’s success. Readily available exploit kits lower the skill and time required to launch new campaigns that can be rapidly deployed in response to today’s hot topic.

Stopping attacks that piggyback on these events requires layered defences in conjunction with user education. The use of proactive technologies that detect emerging threats in real-time can mean the difference between being protected or becoming a successful statistic for the bad guys.”