Three Reasons Why Smartphones Need Security Protection

Illustration of smartphones (photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Cell phones are currently a valuable object by many people. You can do more than just contact someone with a smartphone, such as making digital transactions, storing confidential data, and so on.

For that reason, Kaspersky shared three important reasons why your smartphone also requires software protection.

Mobile is a place to store today's money

Payments via mobile devices experienced stable growth with the presence of 86 direct mobile money services in Southeast Asia last year. Kaspersky's own research on Digital Payments revealed that Android smartphones are the most widely used devices for online financial transactions in the region.

However, the massive use of this digital wallet cannot be separated from cyber threats. In 2022, Kaspersky has blocked a total of 1,083 mobile banking Trojans that nearly infected its users in Southeast Asia as well as 207,506 mobile malware incidents.

"The money, bank accounts, cellular e-wallets, and even our investments are really on smartphones now, be it Android devices or iOS. It's time to protect them with a strong security solution against financially motivated cybercriminals," said Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.

Accessing work email via smartphone

Outside of mobile banking, mobile devices are business risks to watch out for, as we usually use them to access letters (email) and company assets.

The Danger of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) lies in the fact that 96% of smartphones that can connect and access the company's network are not used for work, but are aimed at personal use.

Kaspersky researchers, over the years, have seen cases of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) entering the company's system through infected mobile devices.

The lack of use of security solutions on personal mobile devices can affect the company's overall IT security posture. Companies play a role in encouraging employees to install protection on smartphones that have access to critical corporate networks," recalls Hia.

Your mobile device accommodates all of your social apps

A survey revealed that one of four internet users in Asia Pacific (APAC) has been a victim of identity fraud. But the most interesting part is that users don't care.

Many still don't care about securing their identity from theft and online fraud. Most frauds occur on social media, most of which are accessed via mobile devices.

Kaspersky's phishing report for 2022 also revealed that the global cybersecurity company's solution blocked 360,185 attempts to click on phishing links from messenger last year. Of these, 82.71% came from WhatsApp, 14.12% from Telegram and another 3.17% from Viber.

Mobile devices are a treasure trove of social media and messaging applications that we use. In each of them, we have conversations, photos, and personal information that we must protect from the wrong hands," added Hia.