Nearly 5,000 smartphone cyber-attacks in Bahrain

TDT Manama

Smartphone users in Bahrain have experienced around 5,000 cyber-attacks so far this year, according to a report released by cyber-security and anti-virus provider Kaspersky. Reviewing the statistic of such instances, researchers saw that in the period of January to May 2020, the number of malicious attacks on mobile users in the Kingdom reached 4,940— including 1,102 in January, 597 in February, 1,180 in March, 983 in April, 1,078 in May.

The figure in Kuwait was 20,000, 15,000 for Oman and 12,000 for Qatar. The overall dynamics clearly showed that quarantine has not had a particular influence on the Bahrain threat landscape. As mobile platforms’ influence grows, the role of smartphones in business processes and day-to-day life is growing rapidly.

In response, cybercriminals are paying more attention to how they are distributing malware and the attack vectors used, increasing their activity in times of crisis. In many scenarios, timing can be a key part of the success of a malicious campaign, taking advantage of those users who are changing their security practices under pressure and not having any reliable security solutions installed on their phones.

Throughout the year, the number of attacks has not been changing dramatically, which means that the implementation of quarantine measures did not influence the mobile threat landscape in the region. It would account for approximately 500 to 1,000 attacks monthly.

This can be explained by the mobile platforms that were initially made to be independent from the physical location of the user and are adjustable to different lifestyles. “While 1,000 attacks on mobile users every month may seem to be a big number for a relatively small country, it is great to see that Bahrain smartphone and tablets owners remained vigilant during the crisis and did not fall for scammers tricks,” says Kaspersky security expert Victor Chebyshev.

“Every system has a vulnerability, but human factor is often considered the greatest of them, so seeing that there is no increase in attack that reached users and were blocked by our products during a shift to workfrom-home and global pandemic is reassuring.”

In order to protect devices, Kaspersky security experts have advised: to only install mobile applications from official app stores, such as Google Play on Android devices or the App Store on iOS; block the installation of programmes from unknown sources in your smartphone’s settings;

do not bypass device restrictions as this might provide cybercriminals with limitless capabilities to carry out their attacks; install system and application updates as soon as they are available; use reliable security solutions for comprehensive protection from a wide range of threats.