LONDON, Jan. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A new survey from Omdia reveals that phishing scams are the top security threat for smartphone users, with 24% of respondents reporting that they have fallen victim to them. attack. Phishing, which involves deceptive texts, emails, or calls designed to trick individuals into revealing sensitive personal information, remains a significant concern as cybercriminals continue to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. consumer.

Omdia surveyed 1,572 consumers worldwide America, ASIA & Oceaniaand Europe on October 2024 for the fourth annual Omdia Mobile Device Security Scorecard. The survey found that the next most common security issue is malware and viruses, followed by physical theft, such as pickpocketing, mugging, or snatching.

In Omdia’s recent assessment of the top premium smartphones, Google’s (NASDAQ: ) Pixel 9 Pro and Samsung’s (KS: ) Galaxy S24 outperformed Apple’s (NASDAQ: ) iPhone 16 Pro and others other Android-based devices, including OnePlus 12, Xiaomi (OTC:) 14, and Honor Magic 6 Pro. Protection against phishing has proven to be a weak spot on all devices, as no one has successfully blocked all phishing texts, calls and emails.

Simulated spam calls revealed that all Android devices from Google, Xiaomi, OnePlusHonor, and Samsung successfully flag suspected spam calls before users answer, while the iPhone 16 Pro lacks the same voice call protection.

None of the tested tools completely No device flags simulated phishing emails from Gmail as phishing, only recognizing them as spam when sent from Google’s SMTP.

Despite the gaps in detecting phishing texts and emails, devices with Google Safe Browsing protections successfully block the link from opening, display a warning screen and require to the user’s confirmation to proceed. The performance of browsers varies greatly: Samsung Internet effectively blocks most links, including advanced custom URLs, while Xiaomi Mi and the OnePlus Internet browser fails to warn users about known malicious links, which highlights Android device security conflicts.

“The lack of security protection, especially against the growing threat of phishing attacks, undermines consumer confidence,” said Omdia Senior Analyst, Aron West. “When consumers were asked if their trust in following a security issue increased (due to how well the issue was handled) or decreased, 73% reported that they had decreased trust in the smartphone brand and developer in the operating system.”

“Despite the latest protections implemented by some manufacturers, it is difficult to protect 100% against phishing attempts, which highlights the seriousness of the issue and potential impact on consumers. As such, the smartphone manufacturer can (indicated by more advanced phishing protection capabilities available). ) and should have a better baseline of phishing protection “such as voice call protection, and all Android devices using on Google Safe Browsing protections,” said Hollie HennessyPrincipal Analyst, Omdia. “This needs to be paired with awareness activity from manufacturers and the wider industry to help consumers be vigilant and prepared”.

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