Technological advancements in the past decades have led to the development of devices that later on would be a vital part of many people’s lives. Mobile phones have made it easier for consumers to communicate and engage with their favorite brands and perform their other needs. Furthermore, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has accelerated the massive digitalization of many things and significantly increased media consumption worldwide.
Millions of applications and websites owned by enterprises are now available in the digital space, making services more accessible to everyone. Smartphones offer limitless opportunities nowadays, allowing people to conduct numerous activities with just a few clicks on their devices.
But the rise of smartphones also led to the growth of digital threats that target mobile phone users. Despite innovations in digital identity verification in the past decade, the number of account takeover and identity theft cases has constantly skyrocketed. Bad actors continue to develop and evolve their strategies to get past the real-time fraud prevention solutions of businesses, allowing them to steal classified data from their target companies.
One example of a prevalent cyberattack done since the late 1990s is phishing attacks. Hackers disguise texts and emails to look like legitimate messages from brands. The texts and emails contain a link that will ask the victims to put their credentials to sign in to their accounts. However, instead of logging in, the information will directly go to the servers of the swindlers, allowing them to take over the account.
Another trick used by bad actors is spyware. They do this by deploying malicious software that is designed to infiltrate devices and steal data to send back to cybercriminals. This usually comes when installing an application or if directly installed in the device.
Furthermore, network spoofing is also another widely popular technique by fraudsters. This is usually set up in public places where people typically look for free Wi-Fi, such as airports and parks. Once the unsuspecting victim connects to the fake access point, hackers will be able to steal and gain access to information transmitted in the simulated network.
To learn more about mobile security threats and how to prevent them, check this infographic provided by the leading provider of secure, private authentication for the future, LoginID.
