Beyond malware: the nasty side effects of client-side attacks
Should I delete that email? Is this mobile app really useful? These are just a few questions that internet user ask to themselves while the are browsing the internet, opening attachments in the emails they read, clicking on weird links popping up on their mobile device. Web actions may lead to web risks, since anyone could be the target of attackers in a world where even CPU power is relevant for internet attackers. By remote-controlling a device an attacker can forge virtual currency such as Bitcoin or Litecoin, disrupt Internet services, resell user data or take ransom money by encrypting user secrets. Mobile devices are of course subject to the same level of risk as connected computers, with the exception that are also linked to the user’s mobile number and GPS position, which makes them perfect for an attacker to invade a user’s privacy.
