Kaspersky detected more than 42,000 banking Trojan modifications in Q1
Woburn, MA – May 20, 2020 –Kaspersky researchers have detected a sharp rise in the volume of malicious software aimed at stealing credentials and money from users’ bank accounts. In Q1 2020, 42,115 files of this type of malware were found, more than two and a half times higher than in Q4 2019. These were among the findings of Kaspersky’s IT threat evolution Q1 2020 report.
Mobile banking Trojans – or bankers – are a well-known threat in the cyber-community. They are usually used to steal funds directly from mobile bank accounts. These malicious programs typically look like legitimate financial apps, but when a victim enters their security credentials to try to access their bank account, the attackers gain access to that private information.
In the first quarter of this year, Kaspersky detected more than 42,000 modifications of various families of banking Trojans, the highest level recorded in last 18 months.
Number of installation packages of mobile banking trojans detected by Kaspersky, Q1 2019 – Q1 2020
The share of bankers found in the mobile threat landscape throughout the quarter increased to 3.65%, growing by 2.1% against the last quarter of 2019.
The most affected country, by the share of users attacked with mobile banking Trojans, was Japan (0.57%), followed by Spain (0.48%) and Italy (0.26%).
“In the age of social distancing and lockdown we are all using our mobile devices more often to use financial services – be it for remote communication, payments or transactions,” said Victor Chebyshev, a security expert at Kaspersky. “These devices have become one of our main in-hand tools and we should not let fraudsters take any benefit from our reliance on them.”
To reduce the risk of your device being infected by banking Trojans, users are advised to:
- Install applications only from trusted sources, ideally from the official Google Play app store;
- Use a robust security solution like Kaspersky Internet Security for Android to protect you from malicious software and its actions;
- Do not perform the rooting procedure as this will provide cybercriminals with limitless capabilities to exploit your device.
Read the full version of the Kaspersky IT threat evolution report Q1 on Securelist.com.
About Kaspersky
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at usa.kaspersky.com.
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