Cloud security provider Zscaler has published its annual Mobile, IoT, and OT threat report, compiling findings from a year of monitoring these peripheral devices. Each year, mobile devices grow to become an increasingly important part of corporate workflow, especially in the current era of remote employment, where mobile devices become essential communication tools and carriers of crucial data. IoT devices, especially routers and other edge devices such as firewalls, are also crucial. According to Zscaler, this year has seen an enormous surge in attacks on Android devices, with an overall 67 percent year-over-year increase in Android malware transactions, particularly in spyware and banking trojans. Conventional protections are proving insufficient: 239 malicious android applications were collectively downloaded 42 million times on the Google Play Store, indicating threat actors have been able to circumvent app store protections.
The sectors targeted have slowly pivoted over time as threat actors adapt to financial conditions and focus their efforts on targets that will reap the biggest profit. Notably, the largest increase by far has been in the energy sector, which saw a 387 percent increase in cyberattacks compared to the previous year, followed by the healthcare sector, up 224 percent, and manufacturing, up 111 percent. By contrast, the education, services, technology, entertainment, and agriculture sectors say as much as a 90 percent decrease in malware activity. Zscaler attributes this shift in activity to the interconnectedness of the energy and healthcare sectors, with their vital role in daily life and national security making them prime repositories of valuable data and presenting massive impact if disrupted by malware.
IoT malware has also significantly shifted to target the energy sector. Zscaler has identified a 459 percent year-over-year increase targeting the energy sector, as well as a whopping 861 percent year-over-year increase in attacks on the education sector. This trend has been attributed to the widespread adaptation of smart devices in classrooms. “With typically limited budgets for cybersecurity and expansive networks of devices,” Zscaler said, “educational institutions face challenges in securing their increasingly interconnected infrastructure, making them prime targets for exploitation.” Other sectors that experienced significant year-over-year increases in IoT malware activity included transportation (382 percent), government (370 percent), and construction (410 percent).
The malware most commonly spread by these two forms of activity are Android banking trojans and Mirai-based botnets, respectively. These attacks are mostly focused on profit, but Zscaler also points out dangers posed by nation-state actors such as Volt Typhoon or Salt Typhoon, which have used attacks against mobile and IoT devices as part of cyber espionage activity. In particular, attention is called to the number of IoT devices employed in public infrastructure such as energy grids, water treatment facilities, and transportation networks, all of which are vulnerable to the growing IoT attack trends. Locking down these devices from infiltration is likely one of the most crucial steps both public and private enterprises will have to take in the coming year.
