A Malware can be available on any mobile application regarding the operating system and category. But the banking apps are always a priority for malware spreaders. Users perform financial transactions through these apps, and stealing their information is equal to accessing a source of money. As per the reports, the banking apps have more than a billion downloads on the Android ecosystem. After analyzing 600 financial apps and 10 prolific banking trojan families, Zimperium concluded that the Spanish “BBVA Spain | Online Banking” app is the world’s most targeted mobile banking app. The app currently has over 10 million downloads. Also, Zimperium says six out of 10 prolific banking trojan families are targeting the BBVA Spain | Online Banking app. “We’ve seen ad hoc reports of different banking trojans over the past few years, and anecdotally, people may have recognized that they’re increasing in scope and frequency.” Nico Chiaraviglio, VP of Security Research at Zimperium noted.
Malware spreaders have a big focus on financial and baking apps
Also, the report says the financial apps in the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy are hot targets for trojans. There are 121 financial apps in the US with over 280 million downloads. The UK and Italy have 55 and 43 apps targeted. Of course, fraudsters are less likely to target older banking applications. The Zimperium report shows that apps for mobile payments or cryptocurrencies are becoming a hot target for fraudsters. “Not every trojan targeting mobile and banking apps are created equal – they’re disseminated differently, use different exploitation techniques, and vary in other degrees of reach and sophistication.” Chiaraviglio said. Moreover, the Teapot is the most pervasive banking trojan in the world. It targets 410 apps out of the 600 analyzed. Using firewalls and dedicated security applications can safeguard your banking apps from trojans. Also, don’t forget to download verified baking and financial applications only through Play Store.
