In the first quarter of 2014, spammers began to imitate messages from mobile applications. They showed particular preference for popular mobile messengers such as WhatsApp, Viber and Google Hangouts. Specifically, notifications that supposedly came from these applications were used to spread malware, as well as harmless advertisements. The growing popularity of mobile devices means that phishing attacks targeting users' Apple IDs are becoming increasingly common.
Many mobile device owners are familiar with synchronizing their contacts and receiving messages from mobile applications via email. Therefore, few would suspect the fact that WhatsApp does not directly connect to any email service. However, this omission could be costly, since the attachment to an email contained the notorious Backdoor.Win32.Androm.bjkd. The main function of this malicious program is to steal personal data from users.
“We have recently noticed an increase in the number of attacks targeting mobile device users. Gadgets have become popular even among those who have not had much contact with computers and are less familiar with their security. This creates new attack vectors for spammers and phishers. To protect themselves, users should remember not to open emails from unknown senders and especially not to click on any links contained in such emails, as they inevitably put their security at risk. By clicking on unsafe links, users threaten their security, regardless of the device they use – be it desktop computers or mobile devices,” noted DaryaGudkova, Head of Content Analysis & Research at Kaspersky Lab.
Where does the spam?
There have been changes in the list of countries most frequently targeted by malicious emails compared to the last quarter of 2013. The US share (14%) increased by 3.68 percentage points, while the UK (9.9%) and Germany (9.6%) shares decreased by 2.27 and 1.34 percentage points respectively. Thus, the US, which was in third place in this ranking in the previous quarter, returned to the top in the first quarter of 2014.
Which countries did the spam?
There was no change this quarter in the countries from which the largest volume of spam messages originated. China topped the list (down 0.34 percentage points), followed by the United States (up 1.23 percentage points) and South Korea (down 0.91 percentage points).
Phishing
Email accounts and search portals were the most popular targets for phishers (36.6% of all attacks). Social media was in second place with 26%, followed by financial institutions, electronic payment institutions and banks (14.7%)
Malicious email attachments
The main goal of most email-borne malware is to steal confidential data. However, in the first quarter of 2014, malware that can spread spam and launch DDoS attacks was also popular. Most of the popular malware is now multifunctional: it can steal data from the victim's computer, make a computer part of a botnet, or download and install other malicious programs without the user's knowledge.
Spam email traffic
Spam messages amounted to 66.34% of all emails sent in the first quarter of 2014, a decrease of 6.42 percentage points compared to the previous quarter. However, compared to the same period in 2013, the spam rate in the first quarter of 2014 showed minimal changes, decreasing by only 0.16 percentage points.
The full spam report for the first quarter of 2014 is available at securelist.com .
Users can also view real-time threat information via KasperskyLab's online map (Cyberthreatreal-timemap).
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is the world's largest privately held computer security company. The company is among the top four security providers in the world*. Throughout its 16-year history, Kaspersky Lab has been pioneering security innovations, providing cost-effective solutions to protect consumers, small and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises. Today, Kaspersky Lab operates in 200 countries and regions around the world, providing online security to over 300 million users. For more information, visit: www.kaspersky.com .
* Based on IDC’s “Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor” ranking for 2012. The ranking is included in IDC’s “Worldwide Endpoint Security 2013–2017 Forecast and 2012 Vendor Shares” report (IDC #235930, August 2013). The report included a ranking of software vendors based on revenue from sales of computer security solutions in 2012.
Kaspersky Contact
Konstantinos Memos
Advocate/ Burson-Marsteller
210 6931000
kmemmos@advocate-bm.gr
