A recent Avast analysis on over 160 million mobile devices proves that mobile cybercrime is on the rise.
Avast unveiled new data today that shows a 40% surge in cyberattacks on Android smartphones and tablets. We have addressed these concerns with updates to both Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus and AVG Antivirus mobile apps, now combining the best of each brand’s mobile threat-detection technology in one strong engine.
The Avast app now allows users to protect photos and personal data with extra security layers, while—always a plus—enhancing the phone’s battery life. The updated AVG app provides enhanced protection from theft, unwanted calls, and privacy intrusion through apps that over-collect data. In addition, AVG users can also keep their phones running at peak performance with a new cleaning feature.
Key findings from Avast
Avast’s research is based on the data collected from threats targeting over 160 million mobile users. The results reveal an increase of 40% in mobile cyberattacks, going from an average of 1.2 million to 1.7 million attacks per month. Threat analysts tracked an average of 788 variations of viruses per month, up 22.2% from Q2/2016. The findings also show that the top three mobile threats from Q2/2017 were:
- Rooters (22.80 percent) - Rooters request root access to a smartphone or use exploits to obtain root access, thereby gaining control of the device in order to spy on the user and steal personal information.
- Downloaders (22.76 percent) - Downloaders or “droppers” use social engineering tactics to trick victims into installing more malicious apps. Droppers also typically show full-screen ads, even outside of the app itself. These ads are not just annoying, but are often linked to suspicious sites as well.
- Fake apps (6.97 percent) - These are illegitimate apps posing as real ones in order to drive downloads and expose users to advertisements.
Malware and other cyberthreats are no longer only aimed at computers. With the increasing sophistication in cybercrime, next-gen cybersecurity is essential to protect your laptop, desktop, IoT devices, and especially your mobile devices. Don’t risk it. Update your Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus or AVG Antivirus mobile app today.
