The year 2020 began with so many promises for team Appknox. We had just ended 2020 on a high note with substantial growth in revenue, customer acquisition and regional expansion. As we looked forward charged up to blaze past 2020, the world was shocked and humbled with the sudden COVID-19 pandemic. Just like all other companies globally, Appknox was faced with tremendous pressure to act, think and evolve quickly.
On December 17, CISA released an alert about an advanced persistent threat (APT) that compromised a number of U.S. government agencies, U.S. technology and accounting companies, and at least one hospital and one university. The cyberattack was executed by injecting malware into a software update from network management software company SolarWinds, which has over 18,000 customers.
Over the past decade, technology enthusiasts have dreamed about smartphones and tablets taking over various aspects of our lives. They have in many ways, but the shift has always been gradual. This all changed in 2020 when most of us were forced to stay home. From the way we work, go to school, interact with our healthcare providers, manage our finances, shop, and connect with friends and families – mobile is now at the center of our lives.
The Lookout Threat Intelligence team has discovered a new mobile app threat targeting iOS and Android users in Chinese speaking countries, Korea and Japan. The spyware, which we have named Goontact, targets users of illicit sites, typically offering escort services, and steals personal information from their mobile device. The types of sites used to distribute these malicious apps and the information exfiltrated suggests that the ultimate goal is extortion or blackmail.
On December 11, 2017, Platinum Edge Media and its founder CJ Thompson created National App Day as a way to celebrate how apps have inspired us and changed our culture. The Registrar at National Day Calendar went on to proclaim National App Day to be observed annually. We can’t truly appreciate the impact that apps have on our lives without an idea of how to use these programs securely.
As businesses try to create a contactless experience amid the coronavirus pandemic, many have turned to QR codes. We’re seeing a lot of restaurants using them to display their menus on smartphones and on receipts for a contactless pay option. Within popular apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp, QR codes are an integral part of the user experience. Users can use codes to sign into their account, exchange contact information and make money transfer.
We are certainly in unique times, with COVID driving digital transformation at an unprecedented pace, remote work appearing to be long term, and the specter of new threats looming over security professionals as they strategized how to protect a rapidly changing business and tech landscape. To use perhaps one too many cliches: it is the best of times, it is the worst of times, the times are a changin’, and a change will do you good. No really, it will.
2020 has been a challenging year. Organizations had to quickly figure out how to secure employees and mobile endpoints working outside their existing perimeter-based controls. To take a step back, 2020 isn’t an anomaly. This shift to mobile-first was happening well before the pandemic.
