Mobile Threat Report Commentary: Mobile Malware is Not Going Away

Employees use their mobile devices to be proactive and stay connected in both their personal and work lives. The movement to the cloud has allowed employees to check email, download documents, and share information that may contain sensitive information, even when they’re not on an enterprise network. Businesses must protect their enterprise environments and combat threats that target their employees as average consumers.

McAfee research shows that every mobile-enabled device is subject to some type of malicious exploit. In 2018, McAfee researchers discovered mobile malware named TimpDoor, which turned Android devices into hidden proxies. But in 2019, businesses should be prepared for malware that goes beyond mobile devices too.

Detections of backdoors, cryptomining, fake apps, and banking Trojans all increased substantially in the second half of 2018 and attacks on other connected household devices gained momentum as well. While hidden apps like Adware remain by far the most common form of mobile malware, others are growing and learning how to infect other devices.

Mobile devices are becoming a hub for ransomware and malware developers. One common thread through much of the mobile attack landscape is the quest for illicit profits. Criminals are looking for ways to maximize their income and shift tactics in response to changes in the market.

“75% rise in banking Trojans, enabling cybercriminals to steal financial credentials from mobile devices”

“550% increase in mobile malware realized by the end of 2018”

Weak to non-existent security controls from manufacturers and a lack of simple evasion techniques, such as changing the default username and password, make connected devices in the home and workplace targets for cybercriminals.

Although mobile devices have become key enablers for business productivity and connectivity, they’re still the greatest risk to enterprises today. This changes how enterprises need to secure the mobile devices that connect to their environment. Enterprises must invest in endpoint security solutions to protect themselves from the evolving threat landscape. Mobile is one of the fastest growing endpoints and needs to be protected just as much as laptops and desktop computers.

McAfee has addressed the growing need by introducing the MVISION portfolio family, which provides IT administrators with comprehension and control through one single management console. McAfee MVISION Mobile provides on-device detection, local (end user) threat remediation, visual mapping of nearby dangerous networks, customizable on-device user notifications, and advanced threat detection. This provides the enterprise-class threat defense that businesses today need to be secure.

Read the McAfee Mobile Threat Report to learn more about protecting your employees’ mobile devices from malware and other cyberthreats.

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