Lookout’s analysis identifies iOS as more exposed to phishing attacks than Android.
The latest Mobile Threat Landscape Report for 2024 from security experts at Lookout has revealed, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, that iOS devices are “more exposed to phishing attacks” than their Android counterparts. During the third quarter of the year, Lookout analysts identified iOS devices targeted by threat actors more often, 18.4%, when it came to phishing attacks than Android devices at only 11.4%. Here’s what you need to know.
Lookout analysis reveals that iOS devices are more targeted by phishing attacks than Android devices.
Analysts at data-centric cloud security firm Lookout used data from an AI-powered mobile dataset comprising 220 million devices and 360 million apps, as well as “billions of “web elements” to determine their analysis, as noted in the report. Q3 2024 Mobile Threat Landscape Report. To stick with statistics for a moment, the Lookout security cloud has identified more than. 473 million malicious sites, including those engaging in phishing attacks, since 2019.
The Lookout report, studying the enterprise side of the threat fence, found that not only is iOS more popular in this context than Android, at least among Lookout’s user base with “more than twice the number of devices iOS than Android devices. but it is also much more popular with attackers. So the increased threat could come down to simple math: more devices, more exposure. However, Lookout said that 19% of enterprise iOS devices were exposed to at least one mobile phishing attack during each of the first three quarters of 2024, compared to just 10.9% of enterprise Android devices during of the same period.
The modern path to the kill chain for iOS and Android attackers
There is no doubt that threat actors are increasingly targeting mobile devices, smartphones and tablets, to obtain credentials using clever phishing tactics, such as spoofing attacks. AI-based identity. “As cyber threats evolve, we are seeing more attacks targeting mobile devices as a gateway to enterprise cloud applications that host sensitive data,” said David Richardson, vice president of Endpoint at Lookout .
This is not to say that consumers can breathe easy, far from it. Phishing attacks, usually email-based, are becoming more advanced and whether you’re an iOS or Android user, you need to know what they are to prepare for the onslaughts coming in 2025.
I’ve reached out to Apple and Google for a statement, but in the meantime, I suggest reading this article for a fascinating exploration of some of the ways to best protect yourself against the modern phishing threat, whether you’re using iOS or Android. devices.
