According to a report by Trend Micro, there were about 700 thousand malicious apps recorded at the end of Q3. At this rate Android malware is expected to reach 1 million by the end of this year. The risk is not just limited to Android as various other platforms are also being affected. Users are getting emails from messaging apps like WhatsApp, which contain malicious links that lead the user into believing that they will be offered premium services. This approach primarily forces the attacker to rely on a source to infect a device rather going for a direct approach.

The number of phishing sites specifically made for mobile devices also saw a rise of 53% during the period from January to September this year. In phishing, an attacker attempts to acquire information like usernames, passwords, and financial details by masking itself as an authentic entity in an online communication or transaction.

The most prevalent malwares doing the round these days include FAKEINST and OPFAKE which are malwares disguised as genuine apps. A FAKEISNT, if installed on a device, can send text messages to certain phone numbers leading to high service charges by the operators. In the case of OPFAKE, the app opens an HTML page and asks the user to download a malicious file. Malwares that pose the highest risk include ARPUSH and LEADBLT. They are primarily adware and info-stealers where data related to the device like OS information, GPS location, IMEI, etc. is collected and transferred to the attacker.