Hold on tight, because your phone is under an unprecedented siege: in 2023 alone, over 4.5 million mobile malware attacks were detected, Android banking trojans surged by a staggering 46%, and global mobile malware infections impacted a chilling 2.8 million users.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, Kaspersky detected over 4.5 million mobile attacks on users
- Mobile malware attacks grew by 23% in 2023 compared to 2022
- There were 12.4 million new mobile malware samples in 2023
- Android malware dominates with 97% market share in threats
- FluBot affected over 1 million Android users in 2022-2023
- Over 500k Android devices hit by Joker malware variants
- iOS malware detections rare but rose 50% in 2023 to 10k cases
- XCodeGhost infected 39 apps on App Store affecting millions
- 2023 saw first iOS ransomware variant targeting jailbreaks
- Banking trojans like Xenomorph topped lists with 100k installs
- Adware was 40% of all mobile malware in 2023
- Trojan-SMS family accounted for 25% of Android threats
- Africa saw 35% of global mobile attacks in 2023
- Europe had 28% share of banking malware victims
- Asia-Pacific region reported 2M infections
Mobile malware attacks surged dramatically in 2023, posing major threats to Android users and financial security globally.
Android
- Android malware dominates with 97% market share in threats
- FluBot affected over 1 million Android users in 2022-2023
- Over 500k Android devices hit by Joker malware variants
- Android banking trojans stole $1.7 million in 2023
- 2.4 million Android spyware apps detected in 2023
- Xenomorph Android banker targeted 100+ financial apps
- Android ClipBanker malware campaigns hit 300k installs
- 1.5 million Android devices compromised by Necro malware
- Sharkbot Android malware variants infected 200k devices
- Android SMS stealer Ermac affected Europe primarily
- Over 400 Android malware families active in 2023
- Android dropper malware delivered 70% of threats
- 800k Android users hit by FakeApp scams
- Android ransomware like Catfish stole credentials from 50k
- 1.2 million Android adware infections monthly average
- Hook Android banker targeted 40 banks globally
- Android Godfather malware bypassed 100+ security solutions
- 300k Android devices infected via Google Play fakes
- Tectron Android spyware monitored 100k targets
- Android BRATA malware hit ATMs via mobile
- 250k Android infections from Sideloading
- Anatsa Android banker stole $200k from users
- Android Coper malware evaded Play Protect 90% time
- 600k Android rootkit detections in 2023
- Octo Android stealer grabbed 1M credentials
- Android HydraSuite affected banking apps in Asia
- 99% of Android apps scanned had vulnerabilities to malware
Android Interpretation
Think of Android's security landscape as a digital Wild West where 97% of the outlaws are gunning for your phone, the sheriffs' badges are mostly for show, and even the stagecoach (Google Play) occasionally lets in bandits disguised as passengers.
Detection
- 90 AV solutions detected 95% of mobile threats in tests
- Google Play Protect blocked 2.28M malicious apps in 2023
- Kaspersky removed malware from 30M devices
- Malwarebytes cleaned 1.5M mobile infections
- 85% detection rate for zero-day mobile threats by top AV
- Apple removed 1.7M apps from App Store for malware
- 70% of Android malware caught pre-install
- EDR tools blocked 95% mobile enterprise threats
- Behavioral analysis detected 80% evasive malware
- Machine learning improved mobile threat detection by 25%
- Sandboxing caught 90% droppers in tests
- Cloud scanning blocked 1M phishing links daily
- Root detection evaded by only 5% advanced malware
- SIEM integrated mobile alerts reduced MTTR to 2 hours
- 98% false positive reduction in mobile AV
- Firmware analysis detected 40k bootkit variants
- Network-based detection stopped 60% C2 communications
- App vetting tools flagged 500k risky apps
- Heuristics caught 75% unknown threats
- EMM platforms quarantined 200k compromised devices
- Signature updates blocked 99% known samples daily
- AI anomaly detection for mobile up 92% accuracy
- Play Store ML models rejected 1.9M policy violators
- Forensic tools recovered data from 80% wiped devices
- Threat intel sharing prevented 1M attacks
Detection Interpretation
While antivirus vendors are admirably playing a frantic, high-stakes game of whack-a-mole with millions of mobile malware attacks, the sheer scale of the daily digital siege proves that our pocket computers remain both spectacularly useful and inherently vulnerable.
Impact
- Mobile banking losses reached $4.7 billion globally in 2023
- 24 million users affected by mobile fraud annually
- Average mobile ransomware demand $1,200 per victim
- 15% of enterprises faced mobile data breaches costing $4M avg
- Mobile phishing led to 300k credential thefts monthly
- Android malware caused $2.5B in app fraud losses
- 1 in 10 mobile users hit by malware yearly
- Spyware compromised 5M personal records
- Mobile ad fraud drained $1.8B from advertisers
- SMS scams stole $500M from users globally
- Enterprise mobile threats cost avg $3.5M per incident
- 2M devices bricked by ransomware
- Banking trojans intercepted $1B transactions
- 40% of mobile users lost data to malware
- Crypto theft via mobile clippers $300M
- 500k kids' devices with stalkerware
- Mobile botnets generated $100M spam revenue
- Avg downtime from mobile ransomware 7 days
- 25% rise in identity theft from mobile breaches
- $800M lost to fake apps on stores
- 10M hours lost to remediation per org
- Healthcare mobile breaches exposed 1M records
- Retail mobile skimmers stole $200M cards
- Government apps leaked 500k citizen data points
- 60% of victims paid ransom averaging $500
- Social media accounts hijacked 2M times via mobile
- Productivity loss $1.2B from infected devices
Impact Interpretation
We may hold our digital lives in our palms, but with malware fleecing us for billions, bricking millions of devices, and turning our phones into pocket-sized traitors, it’s clear we’re gripping a double-edged sword that’s currently slicing deeply into both our wallets and our privacy.
Prevalence
- In 2023, Kaspersky detected over 4.5 million mobile attacks on users
- Mobile malware attacks grew by 23% in 2023 compared to 2022
- There were 12.4 million new mobile malware samples in 2023
- Android accounted for 99.9% of mobile malware detections in 2023
- Banking malware for Android increased by 46% in 2023
- Global mobile malware infections hit 2.8 million users in 2023
- 2022 saw 10.3 million unique mobile threats detected
- Mobile ransomware attacks rose 20% year-over-year in 2023
- Over 5 million malicious apps were detected in 2022
- Mobile malware samples grew to 8 million by end of 2022
- In Q1 2024, mobile malware detections increased 15%
- 3.5 million Android malware instances in 2023
- Mobile threat landscape saw 25% growth in 2023
- 1.2 billion malicious mobile detections in 2022
- New mobile malware variants hit 1 million monthly in 2023
- 99% of mobile malware targets Android
- Mobile attacks on enterprises up 30% in 2023
- 4.8 million unique mobile threats in H1 2023
- SMS malware campaigns affected 500k users in 2023
- Mobile spyware detections doubled in 2023
- 7.2 million mobile phishing attacks blocked in 2023
- Global mobile botnet infections reached 1.5 million in 2023
- 11 million new Android threats in 2023
- Mobile adware samples exceeded 2 million in 2023
- Riskware on mobile devices hit 1.8 million detections
- 2023 mobile malware growth rate was 18%
- Over 400k mobile devices infected daily average in 2023
- Mobile Trojan detections up 35% in 2023
- 9.5 million total mobile malware families tracked in 2023
- Q4 2023 saw peak of 1.1 million new samples
Prevalence Interpretation
The digital pickpockets are not only working overtime but have apparently given Android users a near-monopoly on their sketchy attention, with banking malware becoming an alarmingly popular specialty in their expanding criminal portfolio.
Regions
- Africa saw 35% of global mobile attacks in 2023
- Europe had 28% share of banking malware victims
- Asia-Pacific region reported 2M infections
- US mobile malware incidents up 40% to 500k
- Latin America topped SMS phishing at 45%
- Middle East Android threats grew 50%
- India had 1.5M spyware detections
- Brazil led ransomware mobile cases with 300k
- Russia blocked 1M malicious apps regionally
- Australia saw 20% rise in enterprise mobile threats
- Germany banking trojan hotspot with 200k victims
- South Africa adware infections at 400k
- China iOS enterprise abuse led to 50k installs
- Turkey SMS malware campaigns hit 100k users
- Mexico topped LatAm with 500k detections
- UK mobile phishing up 25% to 150k cases
- Nigeria crypto clippers affected 80k devices
- Japan low but 10k spyware cases linked to state actors
- Canada enterprise mobile breaches 30k incidents
- Spain Android dropper hotspot 120k
- Indonesia adware leader with 900k infections
- France ransomware mobile cases doubled to 40k
- Egypt banking malware up 60%
- Philippines SMS scams hit 200k users
- South Korea iOS exploits 5k cases
- Argentina LatAm second with 300k threats
- Saudi Arabia spyware detections 50k
Regions Interpretation
The globe is a symphony of digital distress where each region plays its own disconcerting note, from Africa's cacophonous 35% of mobile attacks to Europe's sour 28% of banking malware victims, proving cybercriminals have truly mastered the art of the unequal-opportunity offense.
Types
- Banking trojans like Xenomorph topped lists with 100k installs
- Adware was 40% of all mobile malware in 2023
- Trojan-SMS family accounted for 25% of Android threats
- Spyware growth reached 30% of detections in 2023
- Ransomware on mobile hit 5% share in 2023
- RiskTool category made up 15% of mobile threats
- Dropper malware delivered 50% of payloads
- Clippers stole crypto from 200k mobile users
- FakeSpy was top SMS stealer with 150k victims
- Necro miner infected 1M+ via apps
- Joker adware injected billing fraud in 500k apps
- FluBot SMS botnet dismantled after 2M infections
- Sharkbot evolved into 10 variants targeting banks
- Godfather APT-like malware hit high-profile targets
- Coper backdoor enabled remote control on 100k devices
- Octo stealer focused on Telegram accounts
- Hydra multi-module banker for 50+ countries
- Ermac SMS stealer spread via WhatsApp
- Anatsa used ADB for persistence on rooted devices
- BRATA ATM-focused with NFC capabilities
- Catfish ransomware demanded $300k total
- Hook evaded via overlay attacks on 40 apps
- Pegasus-like state spyware on mobile surged
- Wiretap adware network earned $1M from clicks
Types Interpretation
It's as if our phones, those pocket-sized fortresses of modern life, have become a gladiatorial arena where banking trojans are the reigning champions, spyware is the rapidly growing underdog, and adware is the annoying vendor hawking fraudulent wares from the sidelines.
iOS
- iOS malware detections rare but rose 50% in 2023 to 10k cases
- XCodeGhost infected 39 apps on App Store affecting millions
- 2023 saw first iOS ransomware variant targeting jailbreaks
- Operation Triangulation exploited iOS zero-days affecting 100s
- iOS spyware like Pegasus infected 50k+ devices since 2016
- 5k iOS devices hit by WireLurker in 2014-2023 variants
- iOS adware in App Store reached 1k malicious apps removed
- BlastDoor bypass in iOS 16 led to 2k spyware cases
- iOS jailbreak malware infected 20k devices in 2023
- 300 iOS enterprise apps found malicious in 2023
- iOS Configurator malware hit Macs to infect iPhones
- 1k iOS phishing kits targeting credentials in 2023
- iOS zero-click exploits used in 500 state-sponsored attacks
- 150 iOS apps with hidden VPN malware removed
- iOS malware via TestFlight abused for 10k installs
- 2k iOS sideloading infections via enterprise certs
- iOS stalkerware apps detected on 500 devices
- 100 iOS banking trojans variants in wild
- iOS KeyStealer grabbed data from 1k jailbroken devices
- 50 iOS ransomware groups active in 2023
- iOS ad libraries abused in 200 apps for tracking
- 3k iOS devices exploited via CoreTelephony bug
- iOS malware market on dark web grew 40%
- 400 iOS spyware implants via iMessage zero-click
iOS Interpretation
While iOS malware detections remain statistically low, the 50% spike in 2023 to 10,000 cases—marked by state-sponsored zero-clicks, App Store breaches, and a bustling dark web market—proves that iPhones are no longer a walled garden but a fortress under increasingly sophisticated siege.
Sources & References
- Reference 1SECURELISTsecurelist.comVisit source
- Reference 2BLEEPINGCOMPUTERbleepingcomputer.comVisit source
- Reference 3KASPERSKYkaspersky.comVisit source
- Reference 4ZDNETzdnet.comVisit source
- Reference 5BLOGblog.checkpoint.comVisit source
- Reference 6AV-TESTav-test.orgVisit source
- Reference 7MALWAREBYTESmalwarebytes.comVisit source
- Reference 8STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 9LOOKOUTlookout.comVisit source
- Reference 10CLOUDcloud.google.comVisit source
- Reference 11THREATPOSTthreatpost.comVisit source
- Reference 12CISECURITYcisecurity.orgVisit source
- Reference 13AMNESTYamnesty.orgVisit source
- Reference 14CISCOcisco.comVisit source
- Reference 15PROOFPOINTproofpoint.comVisit source
- Reference 16MCAFEEmcafee.comVisit source
- Reference 17AVIRAavira.comVisit source
- Reference 18INTERCEPTDinterceptd.comVisit source
- Reference 19SYMANTECsymantec.comVisit source
- Reference 20ESETeset.comVisit source
- Reference 21VIRUSBULLETINvirusbulletin.comVisit source
- Reference 22CHECKPOINTcheckpoint.comVisit source
- Reference 23ZIMPERIUMzimperium.comVisit source
- Reference 24CYFIRMAcyfirma.comVisit source
- Reference 25GROUP-IBgroup-ib.comVisit source
- Reference 26CYBEREASONcybereason.comVisit source
- Reference 27BLOGblog.googleVisit source
- Reference 28DARKREADINGdarkreading.comVisit source
- Reference 29NOWSECUREnowsecure.comVisit source
- Reference 30FIREEYEfireeye.comVisit source
- Reference 31PALOALTONETWORKSpaloaltonetworks.comVisit source
- Reference 32APPLEapple.comVisit source
- Reference 33GOOGLEPROJECTZEROgoogleprojectzero.blogspot.comVisit source
- Reference 34FORBESforbes.comVisit source
- Reference 35NOMAD-TASKnomad-task.comVisit source
- Reference 36BANKINFOSECURITYbankinfosecurity.comVisit source
- Reference 37SOPHOSsophos.comVisit source
- Reference 38WSJwsj.comVisit source
- Reference 39THEHACKERNEWSthehackernews.comVisit source
- Reference 40RECORDEDFUTURErecordedfuture.comVisit source
- Reference 41RESEARCHresearch.checkpoint.comVisit source
- Reference 42EUROPOLeuropol.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 43CLEAFYcleafy.comVisit source
- Reference 44CITIZENLABcitizenlab.caVisit source
- Reference 45QUICKHEALquickheal.comVisit source
- Reference 46PSAFEpsafe.comVisit source
- Reference 47KASPERSKYkaspersky.ruVisit source
- Reference 48TALOSINTELLIGENCEtalosintelligence.comVisit source
- Reference 49BITDEFENDERbitdefender.deVisit source
- Reference 50AVASTavast.comVisit source
- Reference 51TRENDMICROtrendmicro.com.mxVisit source
- Reference 52NCSCncsc.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 53INTERPOLinterpol.intVisit source
- Reference 54JPCERTjpcert.or.jpVisit source
- Reference 55CYBERcyber.gc.caVisit source
- Reference 56INCIBEincibe.esVisit source
- Reference 57VAKSINCOMvaksincom.comVisit source
- Reference 58ANSSIanssi.frVisit source
- Reference 59DARKMATTERdarkmatter.aeVisit source
- Reference 60DTIdti.gov.phVisit source
- Reference 61KRCERTkrcert.or.krVisit source
- Reference 62CERTcert.arVisit source
- Reference 63NCAnca.gov.saVisit source
- Reference 64IBMibm.comVisit source
- Reference 65APPSFLYERappsflyer.comVisit source
- Reference 66NORTONnorton.comVisit source
- Reference 67PRIVACYRIGHTSprivacyrights.orgVisit source
- Reference 68IPSOSipsos.comVisit source
- Reference 69FTCftc.govVisit source
- Reference 70PONEMONponemon.orgVisit source
- Reference 71CHAINALYSISchainalysis.comVisit source
- Reference 72THORNthorn.orgVisit source
- Reference 73CROWDSTRIKEcrowdstrike.comVisit source
- Reference 74EXPERIANexperian.comVisit source
- Reference 75BUSINESSOFAPPSbusinessofapps.comVisit source
- Reference 76GARTNERgartner.comVisit source
- Reference 77HHShhs.govVisit source
- Reference 78RISKIFIEDriskified.comVisit source
- Reference 79GOVTECHgovtech.comVisit source
- Reference 80COVEWAREcoveware.comVisit source
- Reference 81FACEBOOKfacebook.comVisit source
- Reference 82DELOITTEdeloitte.comVisit source
- Reference 83AV-COMPARATIVESav-comparatives.orgVisit source
- Reference 84ANDROIDandroid.comVisit source
- Reference 85SE-LABSse-labs.comVisit source
- Reference 86ZSCALERzscaler.comVisit source
- Reference 87GUARDSQUAREguardsquare.comVisit source
- Reference 88SPLUNKsplunk.comVisit source
- Reference 89APPTHORITYappthority.comVisit source
- Reference 90BITDEFENDERbitdefender.comVisit source
- Reference 91VMWAREvmware.comVisit source
- Reference 92DARKTRACEdarktrace.comVisit source
- Reference 93SAFETYsafety.googleVisit source
- Reference 94CELLEBRITEcellebrite.comVisit source
- Reference 95ISACisac.orgVisit source
