Argentina Alert: 3 latent cybersecurity threats on cell phones

advances in cell phone add new features to mobile devices. But in parallel to technological development, Threats from cyberattacks are also increasing. In Argentina, according to INDEC data, 88 out of 100 users use smartphones.

Faced with this scenario in our country, complaints of fraud, false applications and hacking are growing exponentially. Consequently, more and more people are afraid of having an attack. This is revealed in the data that was known in the report of the Consumer Expectations for Security in Mobile Applications of the Appdome platform.

Telephone scams in Córdoba: they pretended to be banks, they were arrested and dollars were kidnapped

What are the most frequent cyberattacks and how to avoid them

The Cyber ​​attacks are defined as a series of actions directed against information systems with the intent to harm another or appropriate their property. These can be against people, institutions or companies and are crimes that manifest themselves in different ways. But the most common are linked to identity theft, which can be grouped into:

• Identity fraudin which users are tricked into proving personal data.
• malicious program, which is voluntarily installed software that steals personal information.
• To hack, represents illegal access to someone’s computer remotely.

Wave of hacks at British Airways, BBC and Boots could claim thousands of victims

All these acts are punished by article 157 bis of the Argentine Penal Code. Even so, the sentence of between 1 to 2 years is not enough to discourage this wave of cyberattacks. In our country the most used techniques to implement these crimes are:

1. fake apps

These virus is known as “trojans” and they are one of the most feared by Argentines. Son programs that disguise themselves to enter the system and cause damage to cell phones. This type of crime grew by 217%, from 8.3% in 2021 to 26.3% in 2022. This is almost 30% more than the world average.
The consumers surveyed consider that the fault of this is a cell phone development system that does not take user safety into account.
Another piece of information provided by the survey in this regard is that the 70% of Argentine users use between 6 and 20 applications per day. This represents 15% more than in the rest of the world. The Appdome report indicates that 58% of Argentine consumers prefer to use mobile applications instead of visiting web pages.

Data theft: how to avoid falling for the “rogue call center” scam

2. Hacking, fraud and malware

He cell phone hacking is another of the most common fears in Argentine consumers. He 56% believe that fraud on their smartphone is the main threat of these days. In second place, with 40.9%, they positioned the hacking of the mobile applications they use. And in third place, with 29.3%, malware on the device.
A Check Point Research report reveals that in the first quarter of 2023 in Argentina weekly attacks grew by 22%. This represented an average of 2,052 cyberattacks per week.

Cooper’s test: half a century after the first cell phone call

3. Data breaches and MiTM threats

This is the third threat most identified by Argentines. Before, in 2021 it occupied the podium representing 52.4% of user concerns.
Interest dropped at the end of 2022 to 36.8%. Even so, the protection of personal data in Argentina maintains an interest of 17.95% above that of global consumers.

The CNV “isolated and controlled” the Medusa hack and assured that no sensitive data was leaked

However, the survey highlights that Argentinian consumers worry less and less about network-based threats and data breaches. And they are more alert to the threat of malware, Trojans, mobile fraud and unprotected apps.

Still fearing cyber-scams, Argentines prefer to buy through mobile applications

He appdome report it also reveals the levels of comfort that Argentines feel making purchases online. The results showed that still fearing the possibility of fraud, in our country users prefer apps over web pages. In Argentina, the use of applications has increased by 89% compared to websites since 2021.

This is how the new home banking scams work: how to avoid them?

The mobile first is imperative in the world of programming because more and more people prefer to use an application than enter a page. in turn, too Cybersecurity specialists are needed to take extreme measures to prevent users from being victims of scams and fraud.

The use of cell phones to carry out banking operations and purchases has become the option most used by Argentines. Today, it becomes more relevant that online sales companies and banking institutions work to improve the experience and security of users.