Mobile security is more important than ever, considering the scale and sensitivity of tasks we use our phones for, from banking to shopping. However, unlike desktop computers, the diversity of devices and operating systems makes creating unified mobile security applications challenging.
This also makes investigating mobile malware particularly tough. So much so that studies on the subject have generally been limited to high-risk targets like political activists and journalists. The fact that this kind of research tends to be expensive and time-consuming doesn’t help matters.
However, that might change thanks to iVerify. The mobile security platform set out to democratize security and ended up flagging Pegasus Spyware on multiple devices that wouldn’t typically be considered high targets.
Here’s what happened.
Threat Hunting
Earlier this year, iVerify launched its Threat Hunting feature, which promises to catch advanced zero-day spyware and multiple other types of threats in just five minutes. Best of all, you could do it yourself simply by downloading an app to your phone.
iVerify used the launch to conduct an investigation into the types of threats initial adoptees found on their phones. It involved 2500 self-scanned devices.
Finding evidence of Pegasus spyware
The most shocking result? 7 of the 2500 devices were discovered to have Pegasus Spyware. We’ve discussed Pegasus before on the SSLs.com blog. It’s a type of surveillance spyware generally sold to governments around the world. Once it accesses a device, it can harvest all sorts of data, from calls and text messages to photos and video recordings. Until now, it has also been notoriously difficult to detect.
Some of these infections dated back as far as 2021, meaning these devices could have been actively monitored over the past 3 years. While the 2500 devices examined did tend to belong to high-risk people who were more likely to be targeted by advanced spyware, iVerify points out that they were infected at a higher rate than previously published reports: 2.5 infected devices per 1000 scans.
Prioritizing mobile security
Mobile security is increasingly becoming something we can’t just ignore. Common wisdom once was that mobile devices are inherently more secure than desktop computers. But with sophisticated technologies, that’s changing.
iVerify appears to be committed to democratizing mobile security and making it accessible to everyone. It offers several plans depending on your needs and budget, but its basic $1 app makes it easy to ensure your phone’s safety easily and without breaking the back. Hopefully, more companies start to follow suit.
Cora is a digital copywriter for SSLs.com. Having eight years of experience in online content creation, she is a versatile writer with an interest in a wide variety of topics, ranging from technology to marketing.