Report

Combatting cybercrime against mobile devices

This report from UK think tank RUSI outlines the cyberthreats against consumer mobile devices and considers strategies to mitigate the threat.

This paper examines cybercrime against consumer mobile devices and their users in the UK. Mobile cybersecurity is underrepresented in policy debates and research, especially when considering the societal significance of smartphones for individuals and organisations.

Mobile devices are targeted by cybercriminals for profit, costing the UK economy billions annually. Playing an increasingly salient role in economic and national security, mobile devices are also targeted by hostile state actors as part of intelligence operations and in kinetic conflict.

Analysis presented in this paper explores a handful of the threats targeting mobile devices, drivers of mobile devices’ vulnerability and how competition policy interacts with mobile device cybersecurity. The overarching focus is on cybercrime; however, there is broader relevance to other areas of mobile security.