Report: Over 56,000 Cyber Attacks Targeted Phones in Morocco in 2023

Rabat – Morocco saw over 56,000 cyber attacks targeting mobile phones in 2023, according to a recent report from Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

In 2023, attacks targeting mobile devices saw a substantial increase globally, rising by a sweeping annual average of 52%, and totaling 33.7 million.

France was among the countries affected most by these attacks, recording over 307,000 incidents.

The most prevalent threat on mobile devices in 2023 was adware, a type of malware that displays intrusive advertisements. The malware accounted for 40% of all detected threats.

As for banking Trojans – a malware designed to target sensitive banking information, the number of installations decreased to 153,000, after a sharp increase the year before. Meanwhile, the number of attacks targeting online banking services remained relatively stable.

The Kaspersky report explains that cybercriminals frequently disseminate mobile threats through official and unofficial app stores. In 2023, Kaspersky experts noticed that many malicious applications were available on Google Play.

One of the most common strategies observed in 2023 was exploiting fake investment apps and implementing social engineering tactics to extract users’ personal data, primarily their phone numbers and full names, which were then added to databases used for phone fraud.

Attacks carried out through malicious applications designed to steal user data on WhatsApp and Telegram are also widespread, the report adds

“The rise of malware and risky software on Android throughout 2023 represents a worrying shift, following a relatively calm period,” said Anton Kivva, mobile security expert at Kaspersky.

The alarming trend is a “stark reminder that staying vigilant and implementing robust security measures are necessary to protect against evolving cyber threats,” Kivva added.

To avert the threat of cyberattacks targeting phones, Kaspersky recommends users download apps only from official stores like the App Store, Google Play, or Amazon Appstore.

While apps from these markets are not 100% reliable, they benefit from being verified by store representatives, and there is a filtering system – not all apps can end up in these stores, the report explains.

The cybersecurity firm equally recommends checking the permissions of the apps users download and thinking carefully before granting an app permission, especially when it comes to high-risk permissions like accessibility services. “The only permission a flashlight app needs is for the flashlight (which does not involve access to the camera),” the report says.

Kaspersky further recommends users install a reliable security solution that will help them detect malicious apps and adware before they misbehave on their devices.

In addition, the firm advises users to keep their operating system and important apps up to date as soon as updates are available, as many security issues can be addressed by installing updated versions of software.