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McAfee: Nearly 65,000 Fake Mobile Apps Detected in December 2018 Alone

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McAfee: Nearly 65,000 Fake Mobile Apps Detected in December 2018 Alone mobile threat report

At the Mobile World Congress, endpoint security solution provider McAfee unveiled their latest Mobile Threat Report. Among the report’s findings, McAfee’s Global Threat Intelligence detected an increase in malicious fake mobile apps, from around 10,000 in June 2018 to nearly 65,000 in December 2018.

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The McAfee Mobile Threat Report Q1 2019 also noted an increase in the Internet of Things attacks through password cracking and voice assistant infiltration. Moreover, McAfee predicts the rise of “everywhere malware” in 2019—hackers continue to find new ways to bypass threat detection and prevention capabilities; they work to attack mobile platforms as directly and efficiently as possible.

For example, if app stores block the sale of malicious apps, hackers circumvent these efforts by marketing their apps directly. As another example, if cryptocurrency mining dwindles in profitability, hackers shift to different tactics.       

Raj Samani, McAfee fellow and Chief Scientist at McAfee, shared his thoughts on the Mobile Threat Report Q1 2019. “Most IoT devices are being compromised by exploiting rudimentary vulnerabilities, such as easily guessable passwords and insecure default settings. From building botnets, to stealing banking credentials, perpetrating click fraud, or threatening reputation damage unless a ransom is paid, money is the ultimate goal for criminals.”

Why Mobile Threats Threaten Your Business

With the rise of bring-your-own-devices cultures in American enterprises, every threat to employees’ mobile device constitutes a threat to your network. Hackers could easily use a compromised mobile device connecting your network. With that done, they could use the device as a stepping stone to more sensitive databases and digital assets.

You should mandate employees and privileged users register their mobile devices with your IT security team before they connect to your network. Furthermore, employees should download your endpoint security solution beforehand; this ensures your enterprise maintains a consistent level of perimeter security.   

You can read more about the McAfee Mobile Threat Report Q1 2019 here.   

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