The report also highlighted that financial phishing attacks remained a significant threat. E-shop brands were the most common phishing lure, and there was a noticeable increase in PayPal phishing, additionally, cryptocurrency phishing rose by 16 per cent year-on-year, with scammers often mimicking cryptocurrency exchanges or posing as major corporations like Apple
Mobile banking malware attacks have surged by 32 per cent in 2023, highlighting growing threats to digital financial assets, according to Kaspersky’s annual Financial Threats Report.
Android users experienced the largest increase in mobile banking Trojan attacks, with a 32 per cent rise compared to 2022. The most prevalent malware was the banking Trojan Bian.h, which accounted for 22 per cent of all Android attacks. The highest rates of users encountering banking Trojans were in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. Turkiye faced the most significant number of mobile banking malware attacks globally, affecting almost 3 per cent of its users.
Igor Golovin, a security expert at Kaspersky, commented, “Money has always been a magnet for cybercriminals, and a substantial portion of malware attacks are financially motivated. The surge in mobile malware witnessed last year highlights a concerning trend in cybercrime… This underscores the imperative for individuals and businesses to maintain heightened vigilance.”
The report also highlighted that financial phishing attacks remained a significant threat. E-shop brands were the most common phishing lure, and there was a noticeable increase in PayPal phishing. Additionally, cryptocurrency phishing rose by 16 per cent year-on-year, with scammers often mimicking cryptocurrency exchanges or posing as major corporations like Apple.
While PC-based financial malware attacks saw a slight decline in 2023, consumers remained the primary target, accounting for 61.2 per cent of these attacks.
