India emerges as the top global target for mobile malware attacks: Report

Surpassing US and Canada, India has topped the global mobile malware target list, however, it has reduced its rank among malware origin points, finds Zscaler report

India has emerged as the most targeted nation for mobile malware attacks, surpassing the United States and Canada, according to the Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 Mobile IoT, and OT Threat Report released on Tuesday.

 

The report, released by cloud security firm Zscaler Inc, was based on analysis of  20 billion mobile threat transactions captured by the team between June 2023 and May 2024.

 

India surpasses US, Canada in malware targets

According to the report, India accounted for 28 per cent of global mobile malware attacks, surpassing the US (27.3 per cent) and Canada (15.9 per cent). This marks a sharp rise from its third-place ranking last year. This further highlights the pressing need for Indian organisations to boost their cybersecurity defences amid rapid digitalisation and escalating cyber threats.

 

A recent report by the Times of India on Tuesday also found a 158 per cent increase in the amount stolen from people's devices. Sourcing data from the Delhi Police, the report said that people in Delhi alone were scammed out of Rs 452 crore in the first six months of 2024. In comparison, Delhiites had been scammed out of Rs 175 crore during the same period last year.

 

Within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, India dominated with a staggering 66.5 per cent share of mobile malware attacks.

 

Phishing campaigns on the rise

India has also witnessed a sharp increase in sophisticated phishing campaigns, particularly targeting mobile users of three of the top five private banks.

 

Cybercriminals are deploying highly convincing fake banking websites to trick users into divulging sensitive information such as login credentials and banking details.

 

Improved ranking in threat mitigation

Despite its vulnerabilities, India has managed to reduce its role as a malware origin point. It ranked seventh in the APAC region, an improvement from fifth place last year.

 

In contrast, countries such as Singapore, China, and South Korea were identified as leading sources of outbound threats.

 

IoT and AI-driven Attacks

The report also sheds light on global trends in cyberattacks. Notably, over 200 malicious apps were detected on the Google Play Store, collectively installed more than eight million times.

 

Additionally, Zscaler recorded a 45 per cent year-on-year increase in malware transactions involving Internet of Things (IoT) devices, primarily driven by botnets, networks of compromised devices often used for large-scale cyberattacks.

 

Chief Security Officer at Zscaler Deepen Desai emphasised the growing threats posed by outdated systems and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven attacks such as vishing (voice phishing).

 

Desai urged Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to adopt AI-powered Zero Trust solutions to combat these challenges effectively.

 

Challenges in IoT and legal framework

The report found that inadequate legislation or enforcement of laws related to cybercrime poses significant challenges around the world. Especially as cybercriminals can often cross international boundaries and are constantly evolving their methods to stay ahead of security and legal systems.

 

Commenting on the report findings, CISO-in-Residence for India at Zscaler Suvabrata Sinha warned about the increasing exploitation of legacy systems and unprotected IoT and Operational Technology (OT) environments.

 

"Hacking campaigns targeting these systems are on the rise. Indian enterprises must implement robust Zero Trust security frameworks to protect their critical operations and ensure business continuity in today’s hyperconnected landscape," Sinha said.