www.helpnetsecurity.com Open in urlscan Pro
35.81.17.152  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

Name: searchform — GET https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/

<form id="searchform" name="searchform" class="searchform" method="get" action="https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/" role="form">
  <div class="input-group">
    <input type="search" name="s" id="headerSearchField" class="form-control" placeholder="What are you looking for?" aria-label="Search" value="" tabindex="1">
    <span class="input-group-append">
      <button class="btn btn-search input-addon-item" type="submit" id="headerSearchSubmit" tabindex="2"><svg class="hic">
          <use xlink:href="#hic-search"></use>
        </svg></button>
    </span>
  </div>
</form>

POST

<form id="mc4wp-form-1" class="mc4wp-form mc4wp-form-244483 mc4wp-ajax" method="post" data-id="244483" data-name="Footer newsletter form">
  <div class="mc4wp-form-fields">
    <div class="hns-newsletter">
      <div class="hns-newsletter__top">
        <div class="container">
          <div class="hns-newsletter__wrapper">
            <div class="hns-newsletter__title">
              <i>
                        <svg class="hic">
                            <use xlink:href="#hic-plus"></use>
                        </svg>
                    </i>
              <span>Cybersecurity news</span>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="hns-newsletter__bottom">
        <div class="container">
          <div class="hns-newsletter__wrapper">
            <div class="hns-newsletter__body">
              <div class="row">
                <div class="col">
                  <div class="form-check form-control-lg">
                    <input class="form-check-input" type="checkbox" name="_mc4wp_lists[]" value="520ac2f639" id="mcs1">
                    <label class="form-check-label text-nowrap" for="mcs1">Daily Newsletter</label>
                  </div>
                </div>
                <div class="col">
                  <div class="form-check form-control-lg">
                    <input class="form-check-input" type="checkbox" name="_mc4wp_lists[]" value="d2d471aafa" id="mcs2">
                    <label class="form-check-label text-nowrap" for="mcs2">Weekly Newsletter</label>
                  </div>
                </div>
              </div>
            </div>
            <div class="form-check form-control-lg mb-3">
              <input class="form-check-input" type="checkbox" name="_mc4wp_lists[]" value="28abe5d9ef" id="mcs3">
              <label class="form-check-label" for="mcs3">(IN)SECURE - monthly newsletter with top articles</label>
            </div>
            <div class="input-group mb-3">
              <input type="email" name="email" id="email" class="form-control border-dark" placeholder="Please enter your e-mail address" aria-label="Please enter your e-mail address" aria-describedby="hns-newsletter-submit-btn" required="">
              <button class="btn btn-dark rounded-0" type="submit" id="hns-newsletter-submit-btn">Subscribe</button>
            </div>
            <div class="form-check">
              <input class="form-check-input" type="checkbox" name="AGREE_TO_TERMS" value="1" id="mcs4" required="">
              <label class="form-check-label" for="mcs4">
                <span>I have read and agree to the <a href="https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/newsletter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="d-inline-block">terms &amp; conditions</a>
                </span>
              </label>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div><label style="display: none !important;">Leave this field empty if you're human: <input type="text" name="_mc4wp_honeypot" value="" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off"></label><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_timestamp"
    value="1677809968"><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_form_id" value="244483"><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_form_element_id" value="mc4wp-form-1">
  <div class="mc4wp-response"></div>
</form>

Text Content

searchtwitterarrow rightmail strokearrow leftmail solidfacebooklinkedinplusangle
upmagazine plus
 * News
 * Features
 * Expert analysis
 * Videos
 * Reviews
 * Events
 * Whitepapers
 * Industry news
 * Product showcase
 * Newsletters

 * 
 * 
 * 



Help Net Security
March 2, 2023
Share


DON’T BE FOOLED BY A PRETTY ICON, MALICIOUS APPS HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT



Apps, whether for communication, productivity or gaming, are one of the biggest
threats to mobile security, according to McAfee.



The end of 2022 saw the release of some game-changing applications such as
OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot and DALL-E 2 image generator. These tools have provided
powerful AI to the masses, which creates exciting opportunities for innovation
and productivity, but also provides those same opportunities to cybercriminals.

McAfee’s report focuses on how cybercriminals leverage these tools to trick or
defraud consumers in growing numbers, as identified by. A common theme
throughout is the prevalence of malicious phone applications.

“Our mobile devices are an essential part of our daily lives now more than ever.
They allow us to access a wealth of information and entertainment and provide
the freedom to be productive from almost anywhere,” says Steve Grobman, CTO,
McAfee. “Unfortunately, they also provide cybercriminals with greater access to
potential victims. By sharing insights from McAfee’s Threat Research Team, we
are empowering our customers to freely and safely enjoy their digital lives.”


MALICIOUS MOBILE APPS: POPULAR, EASY, AND SEEMINGLY HARMLESS

Malicious mobile devices apps tend to fall into a few categories – things that
are popular, easy to use, and seemingly harmless. Many malicious apps deliver
some legitimate functionality, but just because a free app works, doesn’t mean
that it’s not hiding ulterior motives. Criminals often use encryption to hide
their malicious code from reviewers, or they build in a delay, so the bad stuff
doesn’t show up until the app is published in the app store.

OpenAI’s new AI image generator, DALL-E 2, ushered in a wave of AI-based mobile
applications that could create artistic images based on photos. While some of
these apps are legitimate, others may be malicious apps looking to capitalize on
recent AI trends.


MALWARE MASQUERADED AS SMS APPS

6.2% of threats that McAfee identified on Google during 2022 were in the
“Communication” category, mainly malware masqueraded as SMS apps. But even
legitimate communication apps can create an opportunity for scammers. They will
use fraudulent messages to trick consumers into clicking on a malicious link,
trying to get them to share login credentials, account numbers, or personal
information.

While these messages sometimes contain spelling or grammar errors or use odd
phrasing, the emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT can help scammers clean up
their spelling and grammar mistakes, making it tougher to spot scam messages by
mistakes in the content. The severity of these communication threats is also
evident in the volume of adults (66%) who have been messaged by a stranger on
social media, with 55% asked to transfer money.


TAKING ADVANTAGE OF BYOD POLICIES

23% of threats that McAfee identified were in the “Tools” app category.
Work-related apps for mobile devices are great productivity boosters –
categories like PDF editors, VPNs, messaging managers, document scanners,
battery boosters, and memory cleaners.

These types of apps are targeted for malware because people expect the app to
require permissions on their phone. Asking for permissions to storage,
messaging, calendars, contacts, location, and even system settings is not
unusual and enables the scammers to retrieve all sorts of work-related
information.


MALICIOUS MOBILE DEVICES APPS TARGET YOUNG PLAYERS

9% of threats that McAfee identified were games from app categories such as
casual, arcade and action. Malicious apps often target things that children and
teens like, such as gaming, making videos, and managing social media.

The most common types of threats detected within the gaming category in 2022
were aggressive adware – apps that display excessive advertisements while using
the app and even when you’re not using it.

It’s important to make sure that kids’ phones are either restricted from
downloading new apps, or that they’re informed and capable of questioning
suspicious apps and identifying fraudulent ones.

What can consumers do to protect themselves and their families?

 * Be suspicious of unsolicited emails, texts, or direct messages and think
   twice before you click on any links.
 * Remember that most of these scams work because the scammer creates a false
   sense of urgency or preys on a heightened emotional state.
 * Pause before you rush to interact with any message that is threatening or
   urgent, especially if it is from an unknown or unlikely sender. If it’s too
   good to be true, it probably is.
 * Ensure that your mobile device is protected with security solutions that
   includes features to monitor and block potentially malicious links.




More about
 * ChatGPT
 * cybercriminals
 * malware
 * McAfee
 * mobile security
 * report
 * scams
 * threat

Share this

FEATURED NEWS

 * Attackers increasingly using transfer.sh to host malicious code
 * BlackLotus UEFI bootkit disables Windows security mechanisms
 * Uncovering the most pressing cybersecurity concerns for SMBs

Visualize change with an out-of-the-box configuration report


SPONSORED


CISOS STRUGGLE WITH STRESS AND LIMITED RESOURCES


HOW TO SCALE CYBERSECURITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS


GUIDE: HOW VIRTUAL CISOS CAN EFFICIENTLY EXTEND THEIR SERVICES INTO COMPLIANCE
READINESS




DON'T MISS


ATTACKERS INCREASINGLY USING TRANSFER.SH TO HOST MALICIOUS CODE


BLACKLOTUS UEFI BOOTKIT DISABLES WINDOWS SECURITY MECHANISMS


UNCOVERING THE MOST PRESSING CYBERSECURITY CONCERNS FOR SMBS


GOOGLE CLOUD PLATFORM ALLOWS DATA EXFILTRATION WITHOUT A (FORENSIC) TRACE


DNS ABUSE: ADVICE FOR INCIDENT RESPONDERS




Cybersecurity news
Daily Newsletter
Weekly Newsletter
(IN)SECURE - monthly newsletter with top articles
Subscribe
I have read and agree to the terms & conditions
Leave this field empty if you're human:

© Copyright 1998-2023 by Help Net Security
Read our privacy policy | About us | Advertise
Follow us
×