Mobile Threats, Made to Measure
When it comes to malware, people who use trusted, mainstream app stores (as the bulk of users in the US and Western Europe do) are less likely to encounter malware.
What global trends and patterns defined mobile security threats in 2013?
To answer this question, Lookout analyzed the threats encountered by more than 50 million Lookout users around the world.
We categorized mobile threats into three distinct app-based threat categories: adware, chargeware, and malware.
2013 stood out as the year when mobile threat campaigns became increasingly targeted by region as the criminals adapted their practices to maximize profit and minimize detectability.
In regions where regulation is stringent, attackers favored alternate ways to operate, often dropping traditional monetization strategies like premium rate SMS fraud in favor of “grey area” tactics like deceptive, if legal, in-app billing practices.
We also examined how user behavior impacts their exposure to mobile threats. If a mobile user has rooted their phone, for example, how might that affect their chance of encountering a trojan in the future? In short, this report contains a comprehensive overview of the current, global state of app-based threats.
We hope the security insights presented in this report may serve to help educate individuals and businesses on how to better protect their mobile devices from threats in a highly networked, globalized age.
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