Phishing Attacks Are Top Security Issue for Consumers

Highlights:

COMMENTARY
New analysis from Omdia reveals that the safety capabilities on a number of of the most recent client smartphones, together with prime units from Apple, Google, and Samsung, fail to detect a number of varieties of widespread phishing assaults.

As a part of the fourth-annual Omdia Mobile Device Security Scorecard, Omdia surveyed 1,572 shoppers throughout 13 main international locations within the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and Europe, in October 2024. This survey coated the demographics of smartphone customers, their safety issues and attitudes, their notion of the commonest safety threats, and the important thing smartphone buying drivers.

Customers reported that the commonest safety situation they encountered was phishing scams and assaults (texts, emails or calls which use false pretenses to attempt to get the goal to present away worthwhile private data), with 24% reporting to have skilled phishing. 

Omdia additionally requested shoppers to price how necessary varied safety features have been, with anti-phishing having the most important net-importance ranking. In reality, over the 4 years Omdia has carried out its Cell System Safety Scorecard analysis, anti-phishing has been rising in significance. That is no shock, as phishing not solely turns into extra widespread, but in addition as shoppers turn out to be extra accustomed to the assaults and the potential for private data theft or monetary loss. 

The following most typical safety situation was malware and viruses. The third most typical was bodily theft, akin to pickpocketing, mugging or snatching. 

Cell System Safety Testing Outcomes

For every of those safety points, Omdia examined main premium smartphones to find out availability and effectiveness of safety features and capabilities. Google’s Pixel 9 Professional and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 each scored extremely, forward of Apple’s iPhone 16 Professional and different main Android-based units, together with the OnePlus 12, Xiaomi 14, and Honor Magic 6 Professional.

Regardless of the significance shoppers place on phishing prevention on cellular units, the anti-phishing options failed to some extent on each gadget Omdia examined. No gadget caught all of the tried phishing texts, calls, and emails initiated as a part of the testing.  

A number of of the units did catch simulated spam calls: All Android units from Google, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Honor, and Samsung, which have voice name safety, flagged suspected spam calls earlier than the recipient may reply the decision. The iPhone 16 Professional, nevertheless, didn’t have the identical protections and didn’t catch the simulated spam name. 

Textual content messages with malicious quick hyperlinks have been despatched from an unknown quantity and sender ID, however these weren’t efficiently caught by the check units. Simulated phishing emails have been despatched from each Gmail and Google’s Mail Supply subsystem, however no gadget caught the phishing emails from Gmail; the messages have been solely recognized as spam when despatched from Google’s SMTP. 

Regardless of not all phishing texts and emails being caught, as soon as malicious hyperlinks have been opened on the units, those who use Google Secure Searching protections efficiently blocked the hyperlink from opening. A warning display screen was raised, forcing the person to bypass it to proceed.

But not all Android units carried out equally: Samsung Web blocked most hyperlinks besides the extra subtle customized URLs, whereas the Xiaomi Mii and OnePlus Web browsers didn’t warn the person even when loading identified malicious hyperlinks. 

In earlier years’ testing, smartphones have been in a position to detect and efficiently block or warn in opposition to the tried phish. Nonetheless, the distinction year-on-year showcases the ever-changing nature of threats.

Lack of Cell Safety Impacts Client Belief

The shortage of efficient safety protections on cellular units, notably in opposition to the rising menace of phishing assaults, is eroding client belief.

When Omdia requested shoppers if their belief following a safety situation elevated (resulting from how nicely the problem was dealt with) or decreased, 73% reported they’d decreased belief within the smartphone model and working system developer. 

Regardless of some producers’ efforts to make sure the most recent cellular gadget safety protections are in place, Omdia notes that it’s troublesome to guard in opposition to 100% of phishing makes an attempt. This highlights the severity of the problem and potential influence to shoppers.

That mentioned, Omdia asserts that smartphone producers can (demonstrated by the extra superior phishing safety capabilities available on the market) and may have more practical baseline phishing safety in place — akin to voice name safety, and all Android units making use of Google’s Secure Searching protections. 

Omdia sees the worth within the phishing safety options carried out by the main smartphone distributors, and the way this can assist to guard shoppers — at the very least in most cases, primarily based on Omdia’s newest spherical of testing.

Nonetheless, these options must be paired with consciousness exercise from producers, in addition to the broader business, to assist shoppers be vigilant and ready for the occasion when a safety menace evades a safety mechanism. Such consciousness provides an necessary extra layer of safety in opposition to the rising variety of scams concentrating on shoppers via their cellular units.