159/68 Wednesday, April 30, 2025
A new study reveals that over half of mobile devices worldwide continue to run outdated operating systems, posing a significant cybersecurity risk. The 2025 Global Mobile Threat Report by cybersecurity firm Zimperium highlights a growing trend in cyberattacks targeting mobile devices and vulnerabilities in mobile applications. The report warns that cybercriminals are exploiting the widespread use of smartphones within enterprises to access sensitive data.
According to the report, “Smishing” attacks (phishing via SMS) now account for 69.3% of all phishing incidents on mobile, while “Vishing” (voice phishing) and Smishing have seen year-over-year increases of 28% and 22%, respectively. Alarmingly, 50% of mobile devices are running outdated OS versions, with over 25% unable to upgrade to newer versions at all. Furthermore, over 60% of iOS apps and 34% of Android apps lack basic code protection, and nearly 60% of iOS apps and 43% of Android apps contain vulnerabilities that could lead to personal identifiable information (PII) leaks.
Malware remains a primary threat vector, with Trojan malware detections increasing by 50% compared to the previous year. New malware families such as Vultur, DroidBot, Errorfather, and BlankBot have also emerged.
While user awareness of mobile threats is improving, mobile application security remains a critical weakness. Apps installed from unofficial sources pose high risks of malware infection and data leakage. Jason Soroko, a security expert at Sectigo, emphasized that sideloaded apps bypass essential security filters, leaving devices vulnerable. Even internal enterprise apps are not immune, as they often store sensitive user data and suffer from weak design, insecure APIs, and lack of robust security governance.
Experts recommend that both individuals and organizations implement real-time mobile threat detection, maintain regular updates and patch management, and adopt Zero Trust security frameworks to mitigate the rising complexity of mobile threats.
Source https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/50-mobile-devices-run-outdated/
