14 DAY TRIAL // Even though mobile malware doesn't generate a large profit, the number of threats constantly increases and the methods involved become more sophisticated as the terrain for large scale attacks is laid down by operating systems that cover a large portion of the market. Symantec recently released a paper called “Motivations of Recent Android Malware” in which they show the top 7 Android monetization schemes deployed by cybercriminals to get a hold of your money. The results reveal that the profit hackers make by deploying such malware is far from the one obtained in Windows operations.
“Mobile technology is advancing at a rapid pace and cybercriminals are keeping close tabs on these developments,” said Eric Chien, technical director, Symantec STAR.
“The marked increase in mobile malware – particularly that targeting the Android platform –is likely only the beginning in terms of both the quantity of threats and their sophistication.”
The first method used by criminal masterminds to get their hands on an individual's savings is called “premium rate number billing.” In these practices, the hacker registers a premium rate number (a short number) at a wireless services provider. Because SMSs to such numbers can generate a lot of income, they create malicious apps that are advertised on the Android Market as being harmless, which then seamlessly send messages to the premium number registered by the thief, thus filling his pockets.
Second on the list are spying apps, which don't generate much profit for those who deploy them, but they can substantially increase the earnings of those who create them as such a piece of software can cost up to $400 (280 EUR).
Search engine poisoning is also one of the utilized methods at the moment. By poisoning mobile search engine results, they can create a lot of traffic to certain locations which can later produce revenue through pay-per-view or pay-per-click advertisements.
Pay-per-click scams, pay-per-install schemes and adware are also deployed but they mostly bring little income for the perpetrators.
The final method, which probably will represents the future of these attacks, is related to banking operations performed from a portable device. As mobile banking gains popularity, so do the malevolent methods that are set to take over the savings of an unsuspecting user.
Security software is always a good solution to the problems mentioned above as in most cases, any fraudulent attempt will be quickly detected and terminated.