RELENTLESS MOBILE THREATS TO AVOID

By Lookout, Inc.

Every day, Lookout analyzes more than 30,000 apps from around the world.

While most apps are safe, a handful of them pose notable risks.

APPS THAT SPY ON YOU

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It sounds like the stuff of James Bond, but some apps

can spy on everything you do with your phone.

WE CALL THIS

SURVEILLANCEWARE

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Apps that spy on you

WHY IT’S DANGEROUS The malware accesses personal data stored on the device

and continues to collect new information based on your

activity on the phone (envision a husband looking for

evidence of his spouse’s cheating). This can put you at risk of

identity fraud and result in your pictures, videos, browser

history, call history, and more falling into the wrong hands.

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Apps that spy on you

HOW YOU ENCOUNTER IT Surveillanceware is effectively spyware that is sold with a warning: in

order for you to use the product legally, you must inform the person

that they are being watched. Surveillanceware gets on your phone

when someone takes your device and downloads the software.

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In 2014, we found tens of thousands of people affected by

Surveillanceware.

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Apps that spy on you

SAFETY TIP: !

• Setting a pin or passcode on your device is your first line of defense against an unauthorized third-party, making it that much harder for someone to install unwanted software on your phone.

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Apps that spy on you

APPS THAT HOLD YOUR PHONE FOR

RANSOM

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One of the worst feelings is being forced into doing something you don’t want

to do. Unfortunately, there are mobile applications that do just that. This type of

malware locks a victim’s device, demanding money in return for access.

WE CALL THIS RANSOMWARE

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Apps that hold your phone for ransom

WHY IT’S DANGEROUS It often uses fear to get what it wants. A user might lose their data or

the use of their device overall as many of these pieces of malware

are extremely difficult to remove (oftentimes because victims give

the ransomware “device admin” privileges). If the victim gives in to

the ransom, they can be out hundreds of dollars with no guarantee

that their device’s activity will be restored.

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Apps that hold your phone for ransom

HOW YOU ENCOUNTER IT Recently, we’ve seen ransomware targeting the U.S. through drive-by

downloads, or when a victim has malware secretly downloaded to their

device when they visit a “malicious” or infected website. It is also likely

distributed through spam campaigns.

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In 2014, we believe over a million people have encountered ransomware.

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Apps that hold your phone for ransom

SAFETY TIPS: • Avoid awarding device administrator to applications

unless you’re really sure of what they do

• Only download applications from developers you know and trust

• Download a mobile security app such as Lookout, which can detect these threats before you ever open them

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Apps that hold your phone for ransom

MALWARE THAT USES YOUR PHONE WITHOUT

YOUR PERMISSION

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We discovered malware that infects its victims by secretly

downloading the malware to your phone when you visit bad websites.

Once on your phone, the malware lets criminals send things like

scalped tickets or send spam campaigns through your phone.

WE CALL THIS NOTCOMPATIBLE

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Malware That Uses Your Phone Without Your Permission

WHY IT’S DANGEROUS You don’t want activity you didn’t approve happening on your device.

NotCompatible has the ability to trick websites into thinking that web

traffic is coming from your phone when it’s actually coming from

another destination. For example, ticket scalpers use Not Compatible

to buy tickets through your phone to later be resold. When they use

your phone as a “proxy” to access, say, TicketMaster, that website then

believes it’s you accessing it and not the real culprits -- the scalpers.

You’re caught in the middle of the scheme without ever knowing it.

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Malware That Uses Your Phone Without Your Permission

HOW YOU ENCOUNTER IT NotCompatible is downloaded to a person’s phone after they access a

website that is secretly harboring malware. This is called a “drive-by

download” and is only possible when the “unknown sources” setting on

an Android is enabled. We’ve also seen links to sites secretly

downloading NotCompatible in phishing emails.

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In 2014, we found hundreds of thousands of people affected by

NotCompatible.

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Malware That Uses Your Phone Without Your Permission

SAFETY TIPS: • Avoid opening spam email. Unexpected emails from long lost

friends with generic titles such as ‘hot news’ ‘You Won $1000” are normally a good indication that an email is spam.

• Use common sense when clicking on links. If it’s not a website name that you recognize, err on the side of caution. Be especially careful when receiving links that have been ‘shortened’ (e.g. bit.ly/ABCD), as it stops you from seeing what website you might be traveling to.

• If your mobile device unexpectedly starts downloading a file that you weren’t expecting, don’t click on it – delete it!

• Download a mobile security app like Lookout that scans for malware

• Disable the “unknown sources” setting in your Android

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Malware That Uses Your Phone Without Your Permission

AGGRESSIVE AD NETWORKS

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Advertisements fuel the mobile ecosystem and allow us to enjoy

free apps like Candy Crush and Instagram, but some mobile

advertising practices cross the line and put your privacy at risk.

WE CALL THIS ADWARE

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Aggressive ad networks

WHY IT’S DANGEROUS Adware grabs a lot of highly personal information about you

(like email, location, and contacts) that you might not realize is

being taken. It can also modify phone settings and desktops

without properly notifying you or getting your consent. Just

because it’s tracking you for seemingly innocuous “advertising

reasons” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be informed.

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Aggressive ad networks

HOW YOU ENCOUNTER IT Adware is often added to what can seem like a normal app that you

download from an app store. Lookout flags adware based on these

guidelines.

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In 2014, millions of people were affected by Adware.

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Aggressive ad networks

SAFETY TIPS: !

• First things first, check the app reviews – make sure there aren’t complaints about overactive, intrusive, or privacy-breaching advertisements. !

• Before hitting install, review what personal information the app collects. If you’re uncomfortable with what’s being harvested, don’t use the app.

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Aggressive and pushy ad networks

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