Check Point Software Technologies report says that over 97 percent of organizations have faced mobile threats in 2020
Check Point Software Technologies, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions the world over, has published its 2021 Mobile Security Report, which shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic the mobile attack surface expand dramatically, resulting in 97 percent of organizations facing mobile threats from several attack vectors. With 60 percent of workers forecast to be mobile by 2024, mobile security needs to be a priority for all organizations.
“As we’ve seen in 2020, the mobile threat landscape has continued to expand with almost every organization now having experienced an attack”, said Neatsun Ziv, VP Threat Prevention, Check Point Software. “And 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”, added Ziv.
During 2020, Check Point 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 percent of its managed mobile devices – exploiting the solution, which is intended to control how mobiles are used within the enterprise.
Check Point’s 2021 Mobile Security Report is based on data that was collected from January 1st, 2020 through December 31st, 2020, from 1,800 organizations that use Check Point Harmony Mobile, Check Point’s mobile threat defense solution. It also draws on data from Check Point’s Threat Cloud intelligence, the largest collaborative network for fighting cybercrime, which delivers threat data and attack trends from a global network of threat sensors; from Check Point Research’s (CPR) investigations over the last 12 months and on recent survey reports from external organizations.
Highlights
- Almost every organization experienced at least one mobile malware attack in 2020. Over 93 percent 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.
- Some 46 percent of organizations had at least one employee download a malicious mobile application that threatened their organization’s networks and data in 2020.
- Check Point’s Achilles research showed that at least 40 percent of the world’s mobile devices are inherently vulnerable to cyberattacks due to flaws in their chipsets, and need urgent patching.
- In 2020, Check Point found a 15 percent 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.
- Individuals’ mobiles are a very attractive target for various APT groups, such as Iran’s Rampant Kitten, which has conducted elaborate and sophisticated targeted attacks to spy on users and steal sensitive data.
Qaisar
