Zimperium, a mobile-first security platform for mobile devices and mobile apps, released its Global Mobile Threat Report 2023, which reveals a continued growth toward mobile-powered business along with the increasingly sophisticated security risks facing it, including spyware, phishing and ransomware.
The Global Mobile Threat Report 2023 examines important trends that shaped the mobile security landscape over the last year and draws on the research from Zimperium’s zLabs researchers, as well as third-party industry data, partner insights, and observations from industry influencers.
Key among the findings is that 43 percent of all compromised devices were exploited fully (not jailbroken or rooted), an increase of 187 percent year-over-year.
“The explosive growth in mobile device and app usage has created an ever-growing attack surface,” said Shridhar Mittal, CEO of Zimperium. “Mobile devices are integral to the way we work, communicate, navigate, bank, and stay informed – creating new opportunities for malware.
“Last year’s Global Mobile Threat Report revealed that 60 percent of the endpoints accessing enterprise assets were mobile devices, and this does not seem to be slowing down,” Mittal continued. “Mobile-powered businesses must increase mobile security measures to protect the personal data security of employees and the sensitive information belonging to the organization.”
The mobile-powered initiatives of enterprises and government agencies are under attack. The latest Zimperium research drives home the sobering reality that the rise in mobile-powered businesses is opening the door to vulnerability gaps that are being targeted by cybercriminals and nation-states.
Key findings in the report include:
- Phishing attacks against mobile devices are growing – 80 percent of phishing sites target mobile devices specifically or are designed to function on desktop and mobile. Meanwhile, the average user is six to ten times more likely to fall for SMS phishing attacks than email-based attacks.
- During 2022, Zimperium detected an average of four malicious/phishing links clicked for every device covered with its anti-phishing technology.
- EMEA and North America have the highest percentage of devices being impacted by spyware, with EMEA at 35 percent and North America at 25 percent.
- Apple and Android saw increasing instances of detected vulnerabilities. There was a 138 percent increase in critical Android vulnerabilities discovered in 2022, while Apple iOS accounted for 80 percent of the zero-day vulnerabilities actively being exploited in the wild.
- Malware continues to proliferate rapidly. Between 2021 and 2022, the total number of unique mobile malware samples rose 51 percent, with more than 920,000 samples detected, including Dirty RatMilad, MoneyMonger and Dark Herring.
- In 2021, Zimperium detected malware on one out of 50 Android devices. It increased significantly in 2022 to 1 out of every 20 devices.
To read the full findings from the report and to see how a mobile-first security strategy is essential to any organization looking to succeed in today’s cyber landscape, visit the link here.
To learn more about how Zimperium’s Mobile-First Security Platform can help organizations strengthen their mobile security posture, click here.
