How to stay safe in the face of surging mobile malware attacks?

SAN FRANCISCO – Since the beginning of February, the American IT security company, Proof point has detected a 500 per cent increase in mobile malware delivery attempts in Europe, seeking to retrieve data from users’ smartphones. Faced with this upsurge, users can adopt solutions and good habits to keep themselves protected.

Malware is becoming ever more discreet, ever more intelligent and ever more devastating.

Over the years, cell phones have become prime targets for hackers and scammers around the world to access specific information such as your identity, phone conversations or banking application passwords.

For Proof point, it is difficult to determine what the 500 per cent increase is due to, but it is real, and it is potentially dangerous.

There are a wide variety of viruses out there, such as “smishing” (or SMS phishing), malware which is installed directly on your phone by clicking on a link, or through a fake parcel delivery message, which retrieve your data when opened. So, how can users protect themselves when faced with these increasingly sophisticated methods?

One of the most effective solutions could be… to use an Apple device. Indeed, Android phones are much more targeted by cybercriminals. The reason? The iOS system does not allow the installation of applications from anywhere other than the official Apple App Store, unlike Google.

Stay safe with antivirus software

Even though Apple’s systems seem more secure, they are not foolproof. A simple solution is therefore to install antivirus software for phones on your device, which is not something users often do. Obviously, you should also avoid using third-party app stores that do not systematically check the authenticity of apps and their content.

Many hackers also use public Wi-Fi to infect smartphones by interrupting a phone’s data stream and thus offering a corrupted stream.

Yet one of the biggest threats to your phone’s security lies in your own actions. Indeed, the vast majority of malware is transmitted through SMS or emails that contain a link.

You should avoid following any link that you receive on your phone that looks in any way suspicious. It could even come from a close friend, since once a smartphone is infected, it is easy for the hacker to use the device and send messages to every number in the contacts list.

There are many websites that allow you to check the links you may receive on your phone, so don’t hesitate to take a look if you’re in any doubt.