UPSTREAM
93 percent of total mobile transactions in 20 countries were blocked as fraudulent in 2019 according to a report on the state of malware and mobile ad fraud released today by mobile technology company, Upstream . The “Invisible Digital Threat ” data is based on deployments of Upstream’s Secure-D full-stack anti-fraud platform that detects and blocks fraudulent mobile transactions mostly originated from ad fraud malware. The platform at the end of 2019 covered 31 mobile operators in 20 countries.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005647/en/
In the markets examined, Upstream’s security platform processed 1.71 billion mobile transactions and blocked 1.6 billion of them as fraudulent , a staggering 93 percent of total transactions . It is estimated that left unchecked these transactions would have cost users $2.1bn in unwanted charges . For the industry as a whole, losses from online, mobile and in-app advertising reached $42 billion in 2019 and are expected to reach $100 billion by 20231 .
The number of malicious apps discovered by Secure-D in 2019 rose to 98,000 , up from 63K in 2018. These 98,000 malicious apps had infected 43 million Android devices .
With Android devices now accounting for an estimate 75-85% of all smartphone sales worldwide2 Android is by far the most dominant mobile operating system (OS). At the same time it is the most vulnerable due to its open nature, making it a favorite playground for fraudsters.
While, as mentioned in the Secure-D report, it is always a good rule of thumb for consumers to only download mobile applications from Google’s official storefront, Google Play, thanks to its scale and set up, rogue apps are still getting through its defences. Of the top 100 most active malicious apps that were blocked in 2019, 32 percent are reported still available to download on Google Play . A further 19 percent of the worst-offending apps were previously on Google Play but have since been removed, while the remaining 49 percent are available through third-party app stores.
Fraudsters appear to target some app categories more than others. Ironically, apps designed to make a device function better and make everyday life easier are the ones most likely to be harmful with 22.32 percent of malicious apps for 2019 falling under the Tools / Personalization / Productivity category 3 globally. The next most popular categories cybercriminals target are Games (18.97 percent) and Entertainment/Shopping (15.76 percent).
Indicating scale, in the course of only a few months in 2019, Secure-D reported on the suspicious background activity of five very popular Android apps: 4shared, a popular file-sharing app, Vidmate, a video downloader, Weather Forecast a preinstalled app on Alcatel devices, Snaptube, another video and audio app, and ai.type, an on-screen keyboard app. With a total of nearly 700 million downloads, these were or had been at some point available on Google Play. In these five cases alone, Secure-D detected and blocked 353 million suspicious mobile transactions preventing $430 million in fraudulent charges.
Dimitris Maniatis, CEO of Upstream commented, "Mobile ad fraud is a criminal enterprise on a massive scale. Though it may seem that it is only targeted at advertisers, it greatly affects the whole mobile ecosystem. Most importantly it adversely impacts consumers; eating up their data allowance, bringing unwanted charges, messing with the performance of their device, and even targeting and collecting their personal data. It is more than an invisible threat, it is an epidemic, calling for increased mobile security that urgently needs to rise up in the industry’s priority list. Left unchecked, ad fraud will choke mobile advertising, erode trust in operators and lead to higher tariffs for users" .
The effects of mobile ad fraud are particularly damaging in emerging markets where data costs are significantly higher. As evidenced from detailed data presented from five such markets including Brazil and South Africa fraud rates in most cases exceed the 90% mark. As Upstream’s report highlights consumers in emerging markets are more vulnerable to digital fraud; they are unaware of the dangers as they often go online for the first time via their mobile devices and data depletion caused by malware has a much greater effect on them due to the high cost of data in their countries. In Africa 1 GB of data costs prepaid mobile subscribers the equivalent of 16 hours of work at minimum wage.
Download the full report for an in-depth look at the state and workings of mobile ad fraud including insights on five emerging markets: Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa and Ethiopia . By way of comparison, the report also juxtaposes snapshots of the state of malware in the United Kingdom and USA.
-ENDS-
1 Juniper Research
2 Statista and Statcounter
3 As these categories are Google Play Store specific, percentages apply only to apps currently or previously available on Google Play
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200129005647/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
CapVest and Parquest Agree Terms on IPN’s Acquisition of Sopral8.7.2025 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
Inspired Pet Nutrition (“IPN”), the fast-growing pet food company controlled by CapVest Partners LLP (“CapVest”), and Parquest, a leading investment firm, have agreed terms on the acquisition of Sopral, a prominent branded pet food platform serving the European market, with manufacturing operations based in France. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250708134461/en/ Sopral products The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Financial terms have not been disclosed. Based in Pléchâtel, Brittany, France, Sopral is a leading manufacturer of branded premium dry petfood with a comprehensive range of high-quality nutritional solutions, including Pro-Nutrition Prestige, Pure Life and Protect brands. Sopral has a strong footprint and reputation in France and a fast growing online and international market presence in over 50 countries around the world. Employing over 130 people, th
Thales Reinforces its Leadership in eSIM and IoT Connectivity with a ‘Ready to Use’ Certified Solution8.7.2025 08:00:00 CEST | Press release
At a time when billions of connected objects are reshaping industries, Thales has achieved an essential security certification for its eSIM solution, reinforcing its leadership in trusted connectivity management for the Internet of Things (IoT). The certification, granted by the GSMA under the eSIM Security Assurance (eSA) scheme, marks a significant milestone in enabling large-scale, secure, and efficient IoT deployments across industries including smart metering, healthcare, and automotive. This positions Thales as a trusted partner capable of providing full protection against advanced cyber threats — delivering end-to-end security solutions, from chip to cloud, and ensuring compliance with emerging security standards (e.g., the EU Cyber Resilience Act). With over 5.8 billion IoT cellular connections expected globally by 2030 (GSMA Intelligence), businesses and industries face growing pressure to deploy connected devices at scale — securely and efficiently. The SGP.32 IoT specificati
Invivoscribe Expands Flow Cytometry Services to Accelerate CAR-T Immunotherapy Development and Regulatory Readiness with the Initiation of CERo Therapeutics Phase 1 Clinical Trial8.7.2025 06:00:00 CEST | Press release
Invivoscribe Inc., a global leader in precision diagnostics and measurable residual disease (MRD) testing, is proud to support CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc., an innovative immunotherapy company seeking to advance the next generation of engineered T cell therapeutics that employ phagocytic mechanisms. Through this collaboration, LabPMM (Invivoscribe’s global reference laboratories) have customized their multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) services and implemented their sensitive MFC AML MRD assay to supportCERo’s clinical trial of its lead compound, CER-1236. The trial targets Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in patients who are relapsed/refractory, in remission with MRD, or newly diagnosed with TP53-mutated MDS/AML. AML is an aggressive blood cancer characterized by the rapid accumulation of abnormal myeloid cells in the bone marrow and blood, disrupting normal hematopoiesis.1 Treating AML is especially complex due to its genetic heterogeneity and the high risk of relapse. CAR-T (chime
Tigo Energy Adds Solar-Plus-Storage Portfolio in Czech Republic to Build on MLPE Success8.7.2025 06:00:00 CEST | Press release
Successful PPDS P4 protocol certification opens full range of three-phase Tigo EI Inverters and the EI Residential product suite for grid connection in second-strongest E.U. market for Tigo. Tigo Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYGO) (“Tigo” or “Company”), a leading provider of intelligent solar and energy software solutions, today announced that the Company’s entire portfolio of three-phase Tigo EI Inverters has successfully passed the certification tests for compliance with the PPDS P4 requirements in the Czech Republic. Compliance with PPDS P4, formally known as Distribution System Operation Rules, Annex 4, is a prerequisite for grid connection of solar inverters in the Czech Republic, validating the compatibility with the technical conditions defined by the European Commission and adopted by local utility companies. In the wake of the proliferation of rapid shutdown requirements across Europe, with installers in the Czech Republic deploying nearly 107MW of Tigo MLPE in 2024, Tigo products ha
Murata Launches World’s First High-Frequency Filter Using XBAR Technology for 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and Future 6G Networks8.7.2025 04:00:00 CEST | Press release
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 6981) (ISIN: JP3914400001) has announced the mass production and commercial shipment of the world’s first*1 high-frequency filter using XBAR technology*2. Developed by combining Murata’s proprietary Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) filter expertise with XBAR technology from Murata's subsidiary Resonant Inc., it enables the extraction of desired signals while achieving both low insertion loss and high attenuation. These features are critical for the latest wireless technologies, including 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7, and emerging 6G technologies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250707682186/en/ [Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.] The world’s first high-frequency filter using XBAR technology The demand for reliable high-frequency communications continues to grow in response to the widespread deployment of 5G and the future development of 6G. Simultaneously, wireless local-area network (W
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom