60% of global smartphone users and 50% of tablet users are reportedly vulnerable to hacking attacks, as they possess no protection against malicious software.
According to the latest Experian report, one in six smartphone users have been the victim of a cyber-attack.
Experian lead researcher Ori Eisen said: "The rapid rise in demand for online banking and retail combined with very little security on devices has created a massive opportunity for cybercriminals leaving many people and businesses extremely vulnerable."
"There are approximately five billion connected devices globally, serving a billion online bank accounts and contributing $13trillion to global ecommerce sales and transactions. With so much at stake, the opportunities for fraudsters are countless and we need to do more – as an industry and as individuals – to protect ourselves."
The report added that cyber-attacks range from phishing emails to session hijacking attacks, in which a hacker will disrupt, monitor or even hijack users’ Web browsing.
The report disclosed that smartphone users were not aware their expensive devices could be targeted by mobile malware.
However, earlier report exposed that Google’s Android platform has turned out to be a major attack vector for cybercriminals, with a report from F-Secure Labs alleging that Android-targeted mobile malware samples accounted for 97% of all the new threats that surfaced in 2013.
