Intel McAfee Labs on New Mobile App Collusion Threats

Cybercriminals have no limits in terms of imagination when it comes to orchestrate malicious and harmful activities online or offline. 

For example, they can orchestrate attacks capable of exfiltrating user data, inspecting files, sending fake SMS messages, loading additional apps without user consent, and sending user location information to control servers.

Intel Security has released its McAfee Labs Threats Report: June 2016, which explains the dynamics of mobile app collusion. Apps designed to provide useful user services such as mobile video streaming, health monitoring, and travel planning are at the core of stakes.  

For those who are unfamiliar, the dynamics of mobile app collusion refer to an environment where at least one app has permission to access the restricted information or service, one app without that permission but with access outside the device, and the capability to communicate with each other.

The report suggests a variety of user approaches to minimize mobile app collusion, including downloading mobile apps only from trusted sources, avoiding apps with embedded advertising, not “jailbreaking” mobile devices, and most importantly, always keeping operating system and app software up-to-date.