Cybercriminals are stepping up attacks on smartphones, with 162,275 new mobile banking Trojan installation packages detected in the first quarter of 2026, more than twice the total recorded throughout 2024.
Banking Trojans accounted for 52.96% of all malicious mobile applications detected during the quarter, up from around 31% across 2025.
More than 306,000 malicious mobile installation packages were detected overall, including 439 linked to mobile ransomware Trojans. More than 2.67 million attacks involving malware, adware and unwanted mobile software were also blocked.
“Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging sophisticated techniques to distribute malicious mobile applications through unofficial app stores, phishing links, fake giveaways, modified legitimate applications, malicious advertising campaigns, and mobile scam schemes designed to trick users into revealing sensitive information,” said Choon Hong Chee, Head of Consumer Channel for APAC at Kaspersky.
The company said mobile attacks are increasingly exploiting unofficial app stores, phishing links, fake applications and scams, while attackers are also abusing legitimate online services to evade detection.
Kaspersky solutions blocked more than 14 million mobile attacks globally in 2025.
