ISLAMABAD: An international cyber security company disclosed Wednesday that there were 29 percent more attacks on Android smartphone users in the first half of 2025 compared to the first half of 2024, and 48 percent more compared to the second half of 2024.
A latest report revealed that in 2025 Kaspersky detected prominent mobile threats such as SparkCat, Spark Kitty and Triada, but there were other active threats as well, including apps with adult content that could launch DDoS attacks and a VPN app that intercepted login codes sent through text messages.
The mobile users most frequently encountered were Fakemoney scam applications and banking trojans, the report stated.
In the second quarter of 2025, attackers embedded functionality for dynamically configured DDoS attacks into applications for viewing adult content. This trojan enables sending specific data from the infected device to the attackers at specified time intervals.
Kaspersky also recently detected a fake VPN client that hijacks different user accounts: instead of providing the declared functionality, it intercepts one-time password codes from various messengers and social networks by monitoring notifications and sends them to the attackers via a Telegram bot.
Malicious apps that mobile users most frequently encountered were Fakemoney scam applications, banking trojans and preinstalled malware. Fakemoney scam apps on smartphones are fraudulent applications that deceive users into believing they can earn real money or rewards through tasks, games or investments, but then steal personal information, money or deliver no actual payouts.
Pre-installed trojans like Triada and Dwphon were also frequently detected. These are examples of malicious software embedded in the firmware of Android devices during manufacturing, enabling data theft, unauthorized actions and persistence even after factory resets.
To be protected from mobile threats, Kaspersky recommends downloading apps only from official app stores for smartphones, such as Apple App Store and Google Play, but remember that even downloading apps from official stores is not always risk-free, the report added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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