Spyware, banking malware, smishing: do you know the main threats on mobile devices?

According to the end of 2022 survey by the National Institute of Statistics on Equipment and Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Households, mobile phones are present in almost all households (99.5%). In this typology, 91.8% of people between 15 and 74 years of age have communicated in recent months via instant messaging; 80.5% have received or sent e-mails; 77.6% have used the Internet for health matters and 69.6% for Internet banking. In addition, the use of mobile phones in the workplace is increasing every day, which means a greater risk of exposure of confidential information. Given that they have become essential tools in our daily lives, it is necessary to be aware of the main risks faced by our pocket devices. These are: 

• Smishing: this involves the theft of credentials from a user who has received a malicious link via SMS. The cybercriminal sends the link pretending to be a legitimate entity. This phishing technique is very commonly detected. 
• Adware: this is malware that specialises in automatically adding unwanted or misleading advertising to applications and users' browsing.  
• Spyware: this is spyware malware that steals credentials to access email, social networks, banks, etc. It also steals cookies or cryptocurrency wallets. It is usually a Trojan that disguises itself as a gaming application or fake antivirus. 
• 0-day: also known as "Zero Day', it is aimed at a vulnerability that has just been discovered by the manufacturer or developer and does not yet have an update or patch to fix it. The problem is that, until such a patch is released, the attacker can exploit the vulnerability and take advantage of the flaw. 
• CEO fraud: this is a type of cyber-attack in which an employee with a certain rank in a company (with access to accounts or the ability to make transfers) receives a supposed message from their manager via WhatsApp, email, etc. The manager requests that they perform a financial action, usually paying bills or sending money from the company's account to another fraudulent account.  
• Banking malware: this is malicious software that specialises in obtaining banking credentials and access to accounts, as well as stealing money and making payments by impersonating the account owner. Hundreds of samples are found by cybersecurity experts every month. 
• Cryptocurrency-stealing malware: this time the malware focuses on stealing virtual wallets, stealing files with passwords related to cryptocurrency mining and using the potential of the victim's machine to mine cryptocurrencies. Sometimes this malware masquerades as a wallet to steal from infected users.   
• Device theft: this is one of the main security breaches of our information, especially when the device does not have login measures.  

With the exception of 0-day attacks, where the situation is very even, cybersecurity experts find more malware and threats for Android than for iOS due to the greater number of Android devices.  

Recommendations for keeping your mobile devices secure 

The Incident Response Capability of the National Cryptologic Centre, CCN-CERT, explains in the "Report on good practices for mobile devices" that security recommendations should be aimed at favouring protection against unauthorised physical access to the device, reducing the impact of loss or theft of the device or improving the confidentiality and security of information storage and communications with other equipment and remote services. 

Entelgy Innotec Security experts provide the following security tips:   

1. Updating the device: this is a simple task that does not take a lot of time, but saves trouble. Just choose the automatic device updates option and install them as soon as they are recommended by the manufacturer.  
2. Access security: It is important to have a password or pattern for locking and unlocking the phone. Access mechanisms should be robust and secure. Try to use as many as the device allows: pin, alphanumeric password, pattern, fingerprint, facial recognition, etc.  
3. Downloads from legitimate sites: it is recommended to download applications from official shops. Even so, it is still necessary to carefully examine the apps you want to install, as cybercriminals are already managing to leak fraudulent apps on legitimate sites. You should also keep an eye on the permissions you grant to apps and be suspicious of apps that ask for access to functionality that is unrelated to the service they offer. 
4. Secure connections: Avoid connecting to public and open Wi-Fi. Also use VPN tools to encrypt a device, use chat applications with end-to-end encryption, and enable browser security and privacy options.  
5. Switch off your device daily: Switching your phone off or restarting it at least once a week is a good practice to avoid cyberattacks, as it makes it more difficult for cybercriminals to access and steal information.