An analysis of the cybersecurity threat landscape reveals a steady decline in attacks on mobile devices in the Sultanate of Oman, according to well-known cybersecurity specialist Kaspersky.
The overall mobile malware attacks have decreased by almost a third, as cybercriminals consolidated their efforts to focus on more complicated, dangerous, and profitable threats instead, the company said in its latest report, ’Mobile Threats in 2021’.
Overall, in 2021, users in the Sultanate of Oman faced 27 percent less mobile malware attacks then in 2020, similarly to other countries in the Middle East: Egypt saw a staggering 52 per cent decrease, followed by Qatar (47 per cent), Kuwait (46 per cent), UAE (29 per cent) and Bahrain (13 per cent). The only two countries where the dynamic was different were Saudi Arabia with a 19 per cent increase and Turkey, where the share increased by an anomalous 67 percent.
This dynamic is a reflection of the global trend, as cybercriminals tend to invest less and less into the mainstream threats that are successfully neutralized by the modern security solutions. Instead, they choose to invest more into new mobile malware has become increasingly complex, featuring new ways to steal users’ banking and gaming credentials, as well as other strands of personal data. For instance, in 2021 Kaspersky detected more than 95,000 new mobile banking Trojans in the world, but the number of attacks using such malware remained similar. Additionally, the share of Trojans – malicious programs capable of executing remote commands – doubled, reaching 8.8 percent in 2021.
In addition to the strategic changes on the mobile threat landscape, experts also attribute the overall decline of mobile malware in 2021 to the enormous wave of attacks seen at the beginning of lockdown in 2020 as users were forced to work from home. That period also saw increased use of various video conferencing and entertainment apps, increasing the volume and spread of attack opportunities. Now that the situation has stabilized, cybercriminal activity declined as a result.
“Indeed, there have been fewer mobile attacks in general, however, the attacks we are still seeing have become more complex and harder to spot. Cybercriminals tend to mask malicious apps under the guise of legitimate applications, which can often be downloaded from official app stores. On top of that, with mobile banking and payment apps becoming even more widespread, there is a higher chance of cybercriminals targeting these more actively. Staying cautious and careful on the internet and avoiding downloading unknown apps is good practice, but I also strongly recommend using a reliable solution. When it comes to the security of finances in particular, it is better to be safe than sorry,” comments Tatyana Shishkova, a security researcher at Kaspersky.
