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Mobile Users More Vulnerable To Phishing Attacks
Orome1 writes "Trusteer recently gained access to the log files of several web servers that were hosting phishing websites. Analyzing these log files provided visibility into how many users accessed the websites, when they visited them, whether they submitted their login information, and what devices they used to access the website. As soon as a phishing website is broadcast through fraudulent email messages the first systems to visit it are typically mobile devices. Most fraudulent emails call for immediate action. For example, they usually claim that suspicious activity has been detected in the user's account and that immediate action is required. Most victims who fall for this ploy will visit the phishing site quickly."
Think about it. What percentage of iPhone users even know what an email header is, let alone how to look at it?
A fool and his password ...
Keep the Classic Slashdot.
If mobile users can’t tell the difference between real sites and fraudulent ones, that says something about the mobile device’s web browser, IMHO.
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
A typical Blackberry user, while probably not a technical elite, has more years of experience using a computer than the iPhone user has been alive and has some semblance of an idea how email works, if just enough to become suspicious.
But on the other hand, an iPhone can be used as a level for hanging pictures.
iPhones are fashion accessories and social opiates.
Only if you add some cool apps. Did you know that you can use the level app to find out at what angle you fall over?
iPhone users are 8 times more likely to engage phishing websites than Blackberry users. iPhone users account for 26% of the mobile market, Blackberry is 36%. .
I imagine this is because most Blackberrys are corporate phones and the phishing emails will never reach their corporate mailboxes in the first place.
iPhone users on the other hand will be more likely to use hotmail/yahoo mail etc, which aren't as good at removing such mails, making the percentage of emails delivered to the device higher, hence the number of phishing website click-throughs higher.
Just my thoughts, based on no data.
75% of iPhone users are above 25 years old, according to an April 2009 survey. RIM itself, in a 2010 leaked powerpoint estimated their own users at 36.7 years old, with the other smartphone users being 35.8. Still other survery show that the iPhone has just about 50% of its users 35 and above.
Blackberry users, though they might be a little older, probably aren't so much older that they've been using a computer longer than the average iPhone user has been alive.
SSC