Kaspersky Lab says mobile malware attacks doubled in 2018

Safety first is a mantra oft repeated when using digital devices with PCs and notebooks, the traditional avenues of attack for cybercriminals and malware bearing the brunt of their efforts though they are becoming more sophisticated with increasing malware attacks on something even more ubiquitous – our smartphones.

According to Kaspersky Lab researchers, attacks using malicious mobile software nearly doubled in just a year. In 2018, there were 116.5 million recorded attacks. In 2017, there were just 66.4 million attacks. Interestingly enough, they also saw the number of malware files decreasing leading to the conclusion that the threat actors behind these mobile malware attacks are becoming more precise in their targeting.

Kasperky Lab’s report dubbed Mobile Malware Evolution 2018 concluded that Malaysia was ranked 11 in the world for malware attacks with 22.81% of users attacked by some form of mobile malware. That’s almost one in five people. The most dangerous malware was, interestingly enough, DangerousObject.Multi.Generic. Fortunately, there’s a silver lining to the report as Kaspersky Lab products were able to protect 80,638 users in 150 countries against 60,176 mobile ransomware Trojan samples detected. Another interesting factoid was a fivefold increase in malicious cryptocurrency miner attacks in 2018.

It isn’t all doom and gloom though, Kaspersky Lab has five tips to advise users out there in terms of mobile device security:

5 Kaspersky Lab Security Tips

-Only install mobile applications from official app stores, such as Google Play on Android devices or the App Store on iOS

-Block the installation of programs from unknown sources in your smartphone’s settings

-Do not bypass device restrictions as this might provide cybercriminals with limitless capabilities to carry out their attacks

-Install system and application updates as soon as they are available — they patch vulnerabilities and keep devices protected. Note that the mobile OS system updates should never be downloaded from external resources (unless you are participating in official beta-testing). Application updates can only be installed through official app stores

-Use reliable security solutions for comprehensive protection from a wide range of threats, such as Kaspersky Security Cloud