97% of organisations faced mobile malware attack in 2020: Checkpoint report

The year 2020 saw an exponential increase in cyber attacks. Reports in the past have detailed the scope of the cyber attacks in the era of the pandemic. Now, a new report says that most of the organisations around the globe faced mobile malware attacks in 2020.

Cybersecurity firm Checkpoint Technologies, today published its 2021 Mobile Security Report, which is based on data that was collected from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, from 1,800 organisations around the globe. As per the report 97% of organizations facing mobile threats from several attack vectors in the past year. The report also said that almost every organisation experienced at least one mobile malware attack in 2020. 93% of these attacks originated in a device network, which attempts to trick users into installing a malicious payload via infected websites or URLs, or to steal users’ credentials.

The report also said that nearly 46% of the organisations had at least one employee download a malicious mobile application that threatened their organisation’s networks and data in 2020. The report also showed that at least 40% of the world’s mobile devices are inherently vulnerable to cyberattacks due to flaws in their chipsets, and need urgent patching.

If those numbers haven’t scared you enough, there’s more. In 2020, Check Point found a 15% increase in banking Trojan activity, where users’ mobile banking credentials are at risk of being stolen. Threat actors have been spreading mobile malware, including Mobile Remote Access Trojans (MRATs), banking trojans, and premium dialers, often hiding the malware in apps that claim to offer COVID-19 related information. The report also found out that Individuals’ mobiles are a very attractive target for various APT groups, such as Iran’s Rampant Kitten to spy on users and steal sensitive data

In the same year, CheckPoint also discovered a new and highly significant attack, in which threat actors used a large international corporation’s Mobile Device Management (MDM) system to distribute malware to more than 75% of its managed mobile devices – exploiting the solution, which is intended to control how mobiles are used within the enterprise.

“...there are more complex threats on the horizon. Cybercriminals are continuing to evolve and adapt their techniques to exploit our growing reliance on mobiles. Enterprises need to adopt mobile security solutions which seamlessly protect devices from today’s advanced cyber threats, and users should be careful to use only apps from official app stores to minimize their risk,” Neatsun Ziv, VP Threat Prevention at Check Point Software said on the occasion.