Is your smartphone safe from scammers? Why you could be at risk

Derek Arbogast
·2 min read
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Cybercriminals are targeting cell phones this holiday season. (Photo: Getty Images)
Cybercriminals are targeting cell phones this holiday season. (Photo: Getty Images)

Call 2020 the Year of the Phish. “Phishing” is when cyber criminals try to extract your confidential information by sending a phony email or SMS text (in which case it’s called “smishing”) that appears to be from a trusted source. It has long been their most successful “threat action,” and now the bad guys are targeting your mobile devices.

According to a new report by Lookout, a mobile security platform, 88 percent of US consumer phishing attacks in 2020 have targeted mobile devices.

Why the uptick? The COVID-19 pandemic has more of us working from home, using our phones and tablets to keep in touch and attending virtual meetings.

Also, as Threatpost editor-in-chief Tom Spring explains, manufacturers’ safeguards are not quite where they need to be. “The type of protections that exist on Mac and Windows operating systems aren’t as mature in the mobile space,” he tells Yahoo Life. “They’re getting there but criminals are taking advantage of new opportunities as they crop up.”

If your internet connection suddenly gets slower, if your data consumption spikes, or if your battery life starts to sag, you may have been infected with a malicious app, according to Norton Security Online, which offers an array of rock-solid protections against phishing, smishing, viruses, and malware.

Try Norton Security Online for 30 days free*

Norton Security Online provides state-of-the-art encryption and real-time protection from viruses, spyware, malware and scammers across 5 of your devices and will alert you to security and privacy risks when you’re talking, texting or typing away at home or at a public Wi-Fi hotspot.

Small screen, big danger: Be sure to scrutinize URLs that arrive via text. (Photo: Getty Images)
Small screen, big danger: Be sure to scrutinize URLs that arrive via text. (Photo: Getty Images)

Try Norton Security Online for 30 days free*

Norton will keep all of your devices safe and secure (Photo: Norton)
Norton will keep all of your devices safe and secure (Photo: Norton)

The upshot? No matter what device you’re on, which brand or operating system, you’re going to need protection, now more than ever... and Norton Security Online can be a part of that protection. Your data, privacy, and safety are too important.

Try Norton Security Online for 30 days free*

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