Security News > 2021 > April > 16% of mobile devices in developing markets now infected with malware

In emerging markets such as Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and Thailand, 16 percent of mobile devices that processed a transaction were found to be infected with malware, according to Upstream.

Insights come from Secure-D processing 1 billion mobile transactions and service sign-ups for 35 mobile operators in 23 emerging markets covering nearly 840 million users.

This translates as 16 percent of mobile devices carrying at least one infected app.

Mobile users in these regions tend to rely mostly on their mobile devices for connecting with the online world.

The top suspicious app driving malware on mobile devices.

Upstream CEO, Dimitris Maniatis, says: "The disruption from the pandemic has resulted in a sudden surge of online activity for business, schooling, entertainment and socializing. This has in turn caused a spike of fraudulent activity from bad actors looking to exploit the situation. The digital divide has left users in emerging markets particularly vulnerable, not only because they depend on tools like direct carrier billing, but because their mobile devices are often their only gateway into the online world".

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