Kaspersky warns of a sharp increase in the number of cyberattacks on smartphones and other mobile devices, with adware being the most common threat.

As smartphones do more and more every year, we use them for more and more diverse purposes. Hackers and cybercriminals also know this: In 2023, the cybersecurity company Kaspersky registered almost 33.8 million attacks on mobile devices, an increase of 50 percent compared to the previous year. This information is disclosed in its annual Mobile Threats report, which, not coincidentally, will be released on the opening day of Mobile World Congress 2024.

Adware dominates, and app stores are also a popular target

For Kaspersky, one trend stands out in particular. “Adware,” software that delivers unwanted advertising, was responsible for 40 percent of all threats detected, making it the most common form of mobile malware. The number of attacks on mobile banking services remained stable, although the number of widespread attacks even decreased slightly Banking Trojan.

Kaspersky’s research also shows that cybercriminals attempt to distribute their malware through both official and unofficial app stores. In particular, Google Play and other platforms have been used to host malicious applications, often disguised as investment apps, that steal users’ personal information. A third common attack vector was malicious WhatsApp and Telegram mods designed to steal user data.

It will be interesting to see next year whether allowing sideloading in iOS will lead to more rogue application attacks. This is why Apple has always banned sideloading.

Secure your smartphone

Anton Kivva, mobile security expert at Kaspersky, is concerned about the increasing prevalence of malware for mobile devices, especially Android. The security expert hopes that these figures will encourage mobile users to take strict security measures. There’s no reason why a smartphone shouldn’t have the same level of security as a laptop.