Messaging spam is moving from SMS to OTT apps, new research has found, as network operators place more sophisticated security measures on traditional texts.
Security firm AdaptiveMobile said it has noticed an increase in spam complexity on apps such as WhatsApp across Europe, the United States and India.
The attacks are similar to historic SMS threats, which have been on the wane since operators stepped up their efforts to eradicate them, according to the vendor.
WhatsApp has been a popular target for spammers, with investment spam messages being sent from the US to European users, fake luxury goods advertisements being sent from China to Europe and Indian WhatsApp users being the victim of spam messages from within their own country and the US.
AdaptiveMobile said the booming VoIP sector meant spammers find it easier to target users of a certain service, as they can switch numbers or create new accounts to avoid detection and blocking.
Cathal McDaid, Head of Data Intelligence & Analytics at AdaptiveMobile, commented: “The migration of criminal groups to OTT services for spam and malware campaigns is a concern, but not impossible for the industry to address. WhatsApp has already put in place some measures to ensure that users do not receive spam messages.
“The challenge for all messaging service providers is to continue to evolve and implement safeguards to address the trend of spammers spreading from SMS channels to also exploiting OTT messaging apps.”
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