ISSC262_Paper_Zachary_Cooper

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American Military University *

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262

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Computer Science

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Jan 9, 2024

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Mobile Device Attacks: Be a Hard Target Zachary Cooper Red and Blue Team Security: ISSC262 Professor Brian Burnett May 21, 2023

2 Mobile Device Attacks In the year 2023, the average person in wealthy and technology advanced countries have a mobile device, such as a cell phone. These devices are usually within arm’s reach of their owner at all points of a day. We depend on our mobile devices for every aspect of our lives from communicating with loved ones, banking, entertainment, staying organized, and more. Our reliance on mobile devices makes them a prime target for cybercriminals and nation-state cyber actors. Of all deigital fraud and attacks, mobile devices being involved accounts for more than 60 percent of the incidents (Nelson, 2023). To better protect ourselves, it is important to remain educated on the threats and know how to makes us hard targets and better protect our technologies and information. The first part in understanding mobile devices and attacks on them is understanding the threats posed to these devices. Threats can stem from across multiple domains from physical to most notably on the internet. Internet attacks on mobile devices are like those on typical networks with some minor adjustments and a particularly larger attack surface due to the breadth of use and applications on mobile devices. For example, phishing attacks are commonly known but a form that attacks not only emails on mobile phones, but texting capabilities is SMiShing. SMiShing works like typicla phishing, where a message is sent to a target with the intent of clicking a link that will download some form of malware. The difference relies in the medium of the method where phishing is typically done through email and SMiShing is done through Short Message Service (SMS), or texting (Ranjan, 2023). Another threat to mobile devices is created through its inherent wireless capabilities. While a typical network can have wireless capabilities, a mobile device has multiple means of connecting to other devices and to the network (Ranjan, 2023). Mobile devices have not only cell service but also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. The attack surface of mobile devices, because of the

3 Mobile Device Attacks methods of connection, is very large (Archon, 2023). Wi-Fi runs into multiple vulnerabilities through potential for Man in the Middle Attacks (MIM). A MIM can be created through creating a fake access point where a mobile device may mistake it for one network, typically a public Wi-Fi source such as one at a McDonalds. The fake network will provide an internet connection but will also subject a target to the MIM, providing an attacker the ability to see all information going in and out with the possibility to manipulate packets and plant malware on a device (Nelson, 2023). Bluetooth is vulnerable through a vector known as Bluejacking. This is where an unauthorized message is sent to a recipient and malware can be placed. Bluetooth can also be subject to Bluesnarfing where an attacker can obtain information off a device without the user knowing (Ranjan, 2023). Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and messages and not the only threat. Threats may come from applications with weak security, creating an access point for potential attackers. These applications may have weak algorithms that are designed to allow access to a user’s device. Otherwise, the application may have taken a shortcut. Knowing the threats and what is out there is great, but the real understanding is the ability to notice your device is compromised. An important piece in understanding if there has been an attack on your device has two parts: understanding the baseline of your device and having a method to scan the device. First off, mobile devices are used every day and sometimes for most of the day. Every person knows the typical speed at which their mobile device operates. If the device is abnormally sluggish, this could be a tell-tale sign that there is something wrong with the device and that someone may have caused this degradation of the phone with some malware. Typical signs include applications taking longer to load, battery draining abnormally fast, and

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