New McAfee Global Research Shows Children and Teens Are More Vulnerable Than Ever to Sophisticated Mobile Threats
February 24 2022 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
With device-based consumer behavior changing
rapidly, McAfee showcased its Consumer Mindset Survey: Mobile
Report and Consumer Mobile Threat Report ahead of Mobile World
Congress (Barcelona)
- McAfee’s 2022 Consumer Mindset Survey: Mobile Report
reveals that as mobile devices have replaced PCs/laptops as the
primary device, a high level of trust in smartphone security exists
among children and teens, but is coupled with a low level of
protection, even though risk is at an all-time high.
- McAfee’s 2022 Consumer Mobile Threat Report details new
and trending threats posed by cybercriminals to defraud consumers
and how cryptocurrencies are providing new opportunities for mobile
device attacks.
Today, McAfee Corp. (NASDAQ: MCFE, “McAfee”), a global leader in
online protection, unveiled its Consumer Mindset Survey: Mobile
Report and Consumer Mobile Threat Report ahead of Mobile World
Congress (MWC) Barcelona, which together reveal the level of
disconnect that exists between generations over how safe mobile
devices are and how vulnerable consumers are to threats on those
devices.
“Meaningful protection is a personal right for consumers,
whether they are connected families or individuals,” said McAfee
Executive Vice President, Chief Product and Revenue Officer, Gagan
Singh. “The common thread linking these two research offerings are
that consumers value protection of their data, privacy, and
identity. As our use of mobile devices rapidly increases, we must
remember that a mobile device is a connected device, just like a
computer. McAfee’s world-class Labs Research team works tirelessly
to identify and protect consumers from new and emerging threats
that impact all ages and connected devices, across the globe.”
McAfee’s 2022 Consumer Mindset Survey: Mobile Report
In this report, McAfee surveyed parents and children about their
mobile behaviors as part of its larger 2022 Connected Families
Research to uncover how children are using mobile devices and where
their actual behavior differs from their parents’ assumptions, a
new area of research in the industry that includes crucial
perspective from children. Key findings from the research show:
- 13 Going on 30: While consumers understand their
desktops and laptops need protection, awareness of the need for
protection of mobile devices has not kept pace.
- Globally, children and teens have higher trust in mobile
devices. Most children (59%) think a new phone is more secure than
a new computer, whereas parents are equally split (49%).
- Children’s mobile devices are less protected globally. While
the majority of parents (56%) use passwords to protect mobile
devices, only 41% of children and teens do, creating safety
risks.
- Children are experiencing adult risks. One in 10 parents
reported that children had experienced a financial information
leak, and 15% of children report that an attempt had been made to
steal their online account.
- Parents Protecting Their Progeny (or not): Parents
demonstrate greater focus and action around protecting young
children and teen girls on their mobile devices, as compared to
boys of the same age, leading to hidden risks for boys,
particularly younger boys who report higher instances of harm.
Specifically:
- In the U.S., 40% of parents of boys aged 10-14 put mobile
parental controls software on their children’s devices compared to
34% for girls of the same age.
- Younger boys report more cyberbullying and online threats than
girls of the same age, a pattern that held across all threats
examined, as seen in the following:
- In the U.S., 29% of boys 10-14 reported a threat to their
account compared to 16% of girls the same age.
- Boys 10-14 in the U.S. (28%), Australia (26%), India (21%) and
the UK (19%) reported cyberbullying at the highest rates of
countries surveyed.
- Girls 10-14 in the U.S. (22%), Australia (21%), India (20%),
and the UK (18%) reported cyberbullying at the highest rates of the
countries surveyed.
- Mobile Maturity and Gender Parity: While family members
nearly all rely on mobile devices, how they use those devices
differs greatly by gender.
- The research showed that globally, at the age of 15, mobile use
jumps significantly and stays consistent into adulthood.
- Girls reported an earlier adoption of mobile usage in many
countries studied, particularly in North America and Europe. In
these regions, significantly more girls ages 10-14 are using mobile
devices than boys of the same age.
- Usage of social media in the U.S. showed significant
differences by gender and girls reported adopting almost all mobile
activities at a rate higher than boys:
- Globally, 53% of girls across all age groups use social
networks compared to 44% of boys.
- In the U.S., 65% of girls 10-14 stream music compared to 51% of
boys.
- In the U.S., 30% of girls shop online compared to 24% of
boys.
- This is even true for the gaming arena in the U.S., in which
57% girls 10-14 report gaming on mobile devices, compared to 52% of
boys the same age.
Find the full report here.
McAfee’s 2022 Consumer Mobile Threat Report
McAfee’s Consumer Mobile Threat Report focuses on some of the
newest techniques that cybercriminals are using to trick or defraud
consumers in growing numbers as identified by McAfee’s Mobile
Research team.
Key findings of the latest threats detailed in the report
include:
- Smishing for Malware: Mobile smishing (SMS + phishing)
attacks are using personalized greetings in text messages that
pretend to be from legitimate organizations to appear more
credible. These messages often link to websites with authentic
logos, icons, and other graphics, prompting the user to enter
personal information or download an app. Once downloaded, these
apps steal personal information, contacts and SMS messages from
consumers devices. Stolen contacts are used to fuel cybercriminal
campaigns, expanding their network of targets.
- Gamers Get Gamed: Cheat codes and hacking apps are
popular ways to get extra capabilities in mobile games. Criminals
are exploiting this by adding malicious code to existing
open-source apps and promoting them on legitimate messaging
channels. If installed, the malware steals account credentials for
social media and gaming accounts.
- Mining for Nothing: The cryptocurrency market is
particularly ripe for mobile device attacks, with cybercriminals
deploying phony apps that promise to mine coins in the cloud for a
monthly fee, promising monetary payouts to the subscriber. The
catch is that they take the user’s money, but do not actually do
any mining or increase the value of the subscriber’s wallet.
- Fake it to Make It: Cybercriminals are using personal
information and high-quality graphics to make their malware look
like legitimate apps. Hundreds of these apps promise features such
as mobile games or photo editing and are supported by fake
five-star reviews. When installed, the apps simply ask for the
user’s phone number and verification PIN and use them to sign up
for premium text services that direct payments to the
criminals.
What can consumers do to protect themselves?
- Having a critical eye and a degree of skepticism are essential
tools to protect yourself, your family, and your growing collection
of digital devices.
- Gamers should use caution when installing game hacks,
especially if they request superuser permissions. These permissions
give cybercriminals the ability to take control of devices.
- Mobile security defenses are evolving and adapting to these
types of threats, adding or enhancing important features such as
phishing and fraud alerts, identity protection, and active
notification if personal info is found on the dark web.
Find the full report here.
The reports demonstrate McAfee’s position as a leader in online
protection and underpin the company’s new pure play consumer
business strategy to singularly focus on consumer solutions that
deliver the future of online protection, today.
About McAfee
McAfee Corp. (Nasdaq: MCFE) is a global leader in online
protection for consumers. Focused on protecting people, not just
devices, McAfee’s consumer solutions adapt to users’ needs in an
always online world, empowering them to live securely through
integrated, intuitive solutions that protect their families and
communities with the right security at the right moment. For more
information, please visit https://www.mcafee.com.
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Media: Colton Hightower McAfeePR@webershandwick.com
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