- Surveillance: • Audio • Camera • Call logs • Location • SMS messages
- Financial: • sending high rate SMS • stealing transaction authentication numbers (TANs) • extortion via ransomware • fake antivirus • making expensive calls
- Data theft: • Account details • Contacts • Call logs • phone number • stealing IMEI
- Botnet activity: • launching DDoS attacks • click fraud • sending SMS
- Impersonation: • SMS redirection, sending e-mail messages, posting to social media
- Malware
- Data exfiltration
- Data tampering
- Data loss
- Malicious apps in stores
- Mobile malware
- App sandboxing vulnerabilities
- Weak device and app encryption
- OS and app update issues
- Jailbreaking and rooting
- Mobile application vulnerabilities
- Privacy issues (Geolocation)
- Weak data security
- Excessive permissions
- Weak communication security
- Physical attacks
- Insufficient code obfuscation
- Insufficient transport layer security
- Insufficient session expiration
- Used to distribute malware/malicious apps
- App: Software that runs on mobile devices
- App Store: Distribution platform
- Can be from owners of the OS e.g. Apple, Google play, Microsoft.
- Or third parties e.g. Amazon Appstore, GetJar, and APKMirror.
- Can be distributed through
- legitimate app stores
- because of insufficient or no vetting of apps
- unofficial app stores
- user is social engineered to download and execute
- legitimate app stores
- App sandboxing
- Limits resources available to an app
- Isolates one from another
- ❗ A vulnerable one can still be exploited
- Also known as SMS spam, text spam, or m-spam
- Advertisements or malicious links
- E.g. you've won a prize, click here to claim it.
- SMS phishing
- Acquire personal information through SMS with malicious links
- Effective as
- Easy through e.g. using prepaid SMS card using fake identity
- Usually not checked by antiviruses
- Users are not familiar
- E.g. "PayPal - your account has been locked"
- Pairing with malicious devices may enable e.g. BlueSnarfing and BlueBugging