The popularity of the trend of Bringing Your Own Device (BYOD) is making mobile phones a high-risk vector for threats and phishing attacks. The vulnerability of mobile phone devices to cyberattacks arises from the vague security policies, relatively weak protection, and lack of full-time VPN tunneling.
Security Report
Here are some statistics from a trusted security report:
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About 54% of companies are less confident about the security of their mobile devices than the security of their other systems.
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15% of enterprise users (18% in the U.S.) encountered a mobile phishing link in Q3 2019
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Almost 21% of the previously compromised organizations said that a shady or unapproved application had contributed to the incident.
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About 39% of companies which suffered a mobile-related security compromise
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31% of the Devices were found to harbor known threats, based on MobileIron data.
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45% of organizations said that their defenses not good enough to tackle attackers’ capabilities.
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85% of the cyberattacks take place via mediums rather than email.
Mobile Phones Face Greater SMiShing Risks
While email phishing is still the most popular way for phishing. For mobile phones, SMS phishing is prevalent nowadays. These SMS attacks, often called smishing, are disguised as a text message from a trusted organization like banks, healthcare facilities, or financial services. The scammers can also disguise themselves as a friend and send a suspicious link to receivers in most cases.
People usually respond to text messages quicker than they respond to email. The mobile screens hide the crucial clues about the websites they visit, and thus, SMiShing is a dangerous vector for mobile phone devices.
iOS and Android devices do not incorporate effective protective measures against phishing attacks. Due to this factor, the device manufacturers are putting users and organizations at high risk of smishing attacks.
In Short
SMiShing attacks are rampant among mobile phone users rather than email users. As a responsible mobile phone user, you shall think twice before responding to a suspicious message or opening a shady link. You can also install useful phishing protection apps in your devices to ensure your cybersecurity while using mobile devices.