The Rise of Mobile Phishing Attacks

Mobile phones are used for both home and business use, making them a very attractive target for cybercriminals. Users tend to be less suspicious of links on social media, and criminals can exploit security loopholes to launch phishing attacks against users of messaging apps and social networks.

Phishing refers to an attacker’s attempt to steal a user’s personal information, resulting in the theft of personal information such as email addresses, phone numbers, and passwords. If a fraudster can trick someone into clicking on a malicious link in a personal app, the trick can give the fraudster access to his or her phone details as well as their credit card and bank account details.

Since more than 57% of Internet traffic coming from mobile devices, 48% of all phishing attacks are on them. It is no surprise that attackers are turning their attention to using them for communications, apps, and websites. These devices are very compact and offer functionality similar to a desktop computer, which is why they are now targeted by attackers. Users use mobile devices, in particular smartphones, due to the functionality and ease of use they provide.