Zimperium, a global leader in mobile security, has shared details of its new research highlighting the evolving landscape of mobile phishing or “mishing” attacks. The data-driven analysis of mobile phishing vectors in 2024 underscores an urgent need for organisations to adopt mobile-specific security strategies to combat these increasingly sophisticated threats, as evidence shows that attackers have moved to a ‘mobile first’ strategy to penetrate corporate networks and sensitive data.
Key findings from the report show that smishing (SMS/text based phishing) remains the most common mobile phishing vector, with 37% of attacks in India, 16% in the U.S., and 9% in Brazil. Whilst mobile-targeted email phishing is increasing with attacks specifically designed to evade desktop security measures, executing only on mobile devices, and, quishing (QR code phishing) is emerging, with notable activity in Japan (17%), the U.S. (15%), and India (11%).
The research also found that 3% of phishing sites use device-specific redirection, showing benign content on desktops while targeting mobile devices with phishing payloads and that the attackers are reusing CIDR blocks to host multiple phishing domains, extending attack reach and persistence.
According to Zimperium, there are strategic implications for enterprise security. As organisations increasingly rely on mobile devices for business operations, including multi-factor authentication and mobile-first applications, mobile phishing poses a severe risk to enterprise security. Attackers are exploiting security gaps in cloud and mobile business applications, expanding the attack surface and increasing exposure to credential theft and data compromise. Traditional anti-phishing measures designed for desktops are proving inadequate, requiring a shift to mobile threat defence solutions on the mobile device.
“Mishing is not just an evolution of traditional mobile phishing tactics—it is an entirely new category of attack engineered to exploit the specific capabilities and vulnerabilities of mobile devices, such as cameras,” said Nico Chiaraviglio, Chief Scientist at Zimperium. “Our research shows that attackers are increasingly leveraging multiple mobile-specific channels—including SMS, email, QR codes, and voice phishing (vishing)—to exploit user behaviours and expand their attack surface.”
