Cybercriminals shift focus to mobile devices, crypto assets: report
smartcybers786@gmail.com 
A hand is seen on a laptop with binary code displayed on the screen in front of Russian flag in this picture illustration taken August 19, 2022. — Reuters
#Cybercriminals #shift #focus #mobile #devices #crypto #assets #report
Lahore: Cyber criminals rapidly targeted mobile devices and cryptocurrency assets in 2024 as digital financial transactions continued to spread worldwide.
According to Caspersky’s latest ‘Financial Cyber Therots’ report, the number of users facing mobile banking triggers increased 3.6 times as compared to 2023, while crypto -related fishing efforts increased by 83.4 %. Caspersky’s Anti -Fishing Technologies stopped 10,706,340 efforts to access the cryptocurrency tamedar fashing links, which significantly increased the detection of 5,838,499 recorded in 2023.
Meanwhile, malware, targeting personal computers (PC), saw a decrease in traditional banking attacks but increased crypto asset theft. This trend indicates the changing preferences of cyber criminals towards the emerging digital financial sectors.
During 2024, online fraudsters continued to lure users to fashing and scam websites, which imitated famous brands and financial organizations. Banks, the most common fishing targets, participated 42.6 % of the financial fishing efforts-which is more than 38.5 % in 2023. Amazon was the most imitated online brand, with 33.2 % of fashing scams aimed at online shoppers in 2024. In addition, the phishing efforts in the Alibaba Market increased from 3.2 % in 2023 to 8 % in 2024.
Compared to 19.9 % of last year, the payment system was imitated in 2024, 19.3 % of the financial fishing attacks found by Caspersky products. PayPal was the most frequently targeted brand. However, the share of the attacks has dropped from 54.7 % to 37.5 %. On the contrary, fishing attacks that hit the mastercard almost doubled, which increased from 16.6 % in 2023 to 30.5 % in 2024.
While the number of users facing mobile banking malware increased, financial PC malware infection cases decreased from 2023 to 312,453 to 199,204 in 2024. Currently, most of the financial PCs found by Caspersky target cryptocurrency assets rather than online banking. The most found in 2024 included Clip Banker (62.9 %), Grandorrro (17.1 %), Clipotoshoffler (9.5 %) and Bit Stellar (1.3 %). In 2024, 1,700 banks and 276 cryptocurrency wallets were targeted in 45 countries and areas.
The number of users affected by mobile banking triggers increased 3.6 times as compared to 2023, up from 69,200 to 247,949, with malicious activity increased significantly in the last half of the year. In 2024, Trojan Banker was the most active family Memon, with 36.7 % of the attacks.
To prevent these risks, Caspersky advised users to refrain from clicking on the link in suspicious messages and verify the web pages before entering the credentials or banking details. Users should enable multi -factor verification, make strong and unique passwords, and use reliable safety solutions that are capable of detecting and blocking both malware and phishing attacks.
For businesses, Caspersky recommended regular training for timely software updates, especially security patches, as well as for employees. Strengthening account protection, implementing strict security policies – including default dental policies and network distribution – and adopting a strong monitoring system can help reduce the risks. Businesses should use reliable threat intelligence services to be aware of cyber threats and crime trends.
