These days, we seem to have a newfound reliance on all things ‘smart.’ We give these devices the keys to our digital lives, entrusting them with tons of personal information. In fact, we are so eager to adopt this technology that we connect 4,800 devices per minute to the internet with no sign of slowing down. This is largely because smart devices make our lives easier and enjoyable. But even though these devices are convenient, it’s important to understand they’re also convenient for cybercriminals, given they contain a treasure trove of personal data. To examine how exactly these hackers plan on capturing that data, we at McAfee have taken a deep dive into the mobile threat landscape in this year’s Mobile Threat Report. In this report, we examine some of the most significant threat trends, including new spyware, mobile malware, and IoT attack surfaces. Let’s take a look at these trends and how you can keep all your devices protected.
Operations RedDawn and FoulGoal
In our 2018 report, we predicted that attacks targeted toward mobile devices would increase, and everything from fake Fortnite apps to increased mobile malware has proven this to be true. However, two recent discoveries, Operation RedDawn and FoulGoal, prove just how targeted these attacks can really get. RedDawn, in particular, has set its sights on North Korean refugees, as the spyware attempts to copy photos, contacts, SMS messages, and other personal data belonging to the victim.
The latter attack, FoulGoal, actually occurred during last year’s World Cup, as the campaign used an app called Golden Cup to install spyware on victims’ devices. This app promised users live streams of games from the Russian 2018 FIFA World Cup, as well as a searchable database of previous World Cup records. In addition to stealing the user’s phone number, device details, and installed packages, FoulGoal also downloaded spyware to expand its infection into SMS messages, contacts, GPS details, and audio recordings.