By: Robert Lemos, eWeek
Cyber-criminals have searched for ways of turning mobile phones into illicit cash, and they may have finally found one: toll fraud. Lookout has found that the bulk of criminals are moving to premium-service scams that charge users illegally for services. While malicious software targeting mobile phones has surged, it’s still a drop in the bucket compared with the horde of viruses, Trojan horses and rootkits that plague personal computers. For good reason: Mobile devices are typically of limited value to online criminals, who are driven by dollars. Yet criminals in China, Russia and Eastern Europe have found a model that appears to work well: Using malware to charge for fraudulent premium services. Known as toll fraud, the technique has taken off, accounting for 79 percent of all malware detected by mobile security firm Lookout, the company stated in a report released Sept. 6. Fake installers are the primary method for infecting users and have likely brought in millions of dollars from victims in Eastern Europe and Russia, according to Lookout.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/PhoneFocused-CyberCriminals-Move-to-Premium-Scams-513272/
Share on Facebook