A threat intelligence index based on a study conducted across 160 countries from February 2021 to March this year has been released by Lookout.
Key findings of the analysis:
- Australia had the highest rate of in-app threats (26.9%) on a per-device basis.
- Apple devices are more frequently scammed with 30.1% of threats found on gadgets using an iOS operating system.
- Malicious apps targeting Android devices made up only 1.2% of all threats
“Australians have become complacent when it comes to downloading applications on their phones, at a time when risks are higher than ever,” Asia-Pacific director Don Tan told The Australian.
“Across the nation they’ve been using their phones to check in, order food and more… this is common usage of phones has perhaps bred a complacency about the apps they’re downloading.”
“They need to become more vigilant than ever.”
What data is at risk with infected apps?
There’s no way the average user can live with a mobile phone without using apps. As we save more sensitive information on our mobile devices, keeping that data secure is increasingly important. Through malicious mobile apps, hackers can access personal information from our phones, such as credit card numbers, location, contacts, photos and more.
3 tips to prevent installing an infected application
- Battery drainage: if you find your battery draining faster than usual, check the apps running in the background and you may find one or two that you never intended to install and use.
- Installing a trusted antivirus: installing a reliable antivirus app on your mobile device will prevent malware from entering and being detected later.
- Browsing safety: websites you visit as well as email attachments you click on can expose your mobile device to malware. Only visit trusted sites in reputable browsers.
