As more people log on to the internet on their mobile phones, the number of security threats is increasing. About 2,000 malware and 3,000 ‘potentially unwanted’ applications (PUAs) are detected every day in the country. As many as 6.31 lakh threats were detected on individual and enterprise Android devices in the April- June 2018 quarter.

Internet security solutions firm Quick Heal said the rise in crypto-mining malware and banking trojan attacks is alarming. “The PUA family comprised 46.2 per cent of the total detections in the year,” said Sanjay Katkar, Joint MD and Chief Technology Officer, Quick Heal Technologies.

One reason for the rise in the attacks is lack of focus on securing mobile phones, like the way desktops and laptops are secured.

“This is a major security loophole. Smart phones hold a lot of personal and financial information and are increasingly being used to transact online,” he added. Hackers find a back door in BYOD (bring your own device) mobile phones to tap sensitive business data stored there. “The failure to install adequate mobile security puts all of this data at risk,” said Katkarhe said.