5 Things Every Business Should Know About Mobile Phishing Attacks

CHIME. 
You have a new email on your phone.

SPEED READ.
The average time spent reading an email on a mobile device is less than 14 seconds.¹ 

TAP. 
One-tap options are quick and easy.

Feeling productive?  Mobile workforces often reap the rewards of increased productivity, a wider talent pool, cost efficiency, and boosted employee morale.  However, they also pose a very dangerous threat.  As in the example above, you or any of your employees could jeopardize the security of your company in under 20 seconds.  All it takes is one tap on a cleverly disguised phishing email.

Whether you’re in a BYOD organization or have employees working remotely, more than 60% of online fraud happens on mobile devices.²  That means any smartphone, tablet, or wearable device with the ability to access company data is a potential phishing hazard. Some of the most common phishing threats are disguised as deactivation scares, imposter verification websites from a familiar company, payment declined scams, technical support hoaxes, healthcare hustles, and more. 

Most people don’t realize it but the very design of mobile devices make them a great target for a hacker. For starters, iPhone devices automatically open a clicked-on URL, giving the user no time to think twice.  With some devices, you’ll see the sender’s name but not their address, leading you to be overly trusting. Of course, more and more companies placing their data in the cloud and if those files are being accessed by mobile devices you don’t secure, your entire network becomes vulnerable.

The most common mistake companies make when it comes to phishing attacks—and especially mobile phishing attacks—is not taking a proactive approach.  In 2019, the FBI handled more than 23,000 Business Email Compromise (BEC) complaints with an average loss of $71,504. In total, these phishing attacks added up to a whopping $1.7 billion in losses.³ Not all businesses can recover from that amount of loss and sadly, one costly phishing attack means the end of the company.  Of those that survive, how many do you think prioritized their email security after they were attacked?

Here are a few more facts you should know if your workforce is mobile:

1. 85% of smartphone users access email with their device. In fact, 42% of all opened emails in 2019 were opened on mobile devices.⁴
2. Phishing attacks on mobile devices have been increasing by an average of 85% year-over-year since 2011.⁵
3. Mobile users are three times more likely to fall for a phishing scam than a desktop user.⁶
4. During a phishing attack, mobile users are three times more likely to submit their login information than a desktop user.⁶
5. The Secure Email Gateways (SEGS), which aren’t completely secure at all, don’t protect mobile devices.

Together, these five points can be unsettling.  But really, that’s the point—it’s time to evaluate the effectiveness of your anti-phishing strategy. Most email security solutions can only protect what is either in your physical location, or the equipment in your network.  They can’t come close to protecting your mobile employees.  INKY is different. Every email that arrives on an INKY-protected mobile device alerts the reader of the potential threat level.  INKY phishing protection includes iOS, Android, and Chrome OS devices - giving you the protection you need to keep your mobile employees working smart.  

Learn more about this topic by downloading INKY’s report entitled, Stopping Phishing Attacks: Closing the Mobile Gap.  Then, set up a free INKY demonstration and be sure to mention your mobile workforce.

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INKY® is the emerging hero in the war against phishing. An award-winning cloud-based email security solution, INKY® prevents the most complex phishing threats from disrupting or even immobilizing your company’s day-to-day business operations. Using computer vision, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, INKY® is the smartest investment you can make in the security of your organization. INKY® is a proud winner of the NYCx Cybersecurity Moonshot Challenge and finalist in the 2020 RSAC Innovation Sandbox Competition. Learn more about INKY® or request an online demonstration today.

¹Source: https://www.litmus.com/press/litmus-report-email-read-time-increased-by-21-percent/

²Source: https://www.comparitech.com/vpn/cybersecurity-cyber-crime-statistics-facts-trends/

³Source: https://pdf.ic3.gov/2019_IC3Report.pdf

⁴Source: (https://99firms.com/blog/mobile-email-statistics/#gref)

⁵Source: https://www.enisa.europa.eu/publications/enisa-threat-landscape-report-2018

⁶Source: https://securityintelligence.com/mobile-users-3-times-more-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks/