Zimperium highlights rising mobile bot threats

Zimperium has drawn attention to the increasing risk posed by mobile bots operating within trusted applications.

These bots signify a novel type of automation, sidestepping conventional protective measures, such as CAPTCHAs, rate limits, and multi-factor authentication, thereby rendering them nearly indistinguishable from actual users and facilitating large-scale fraud.

Distinguishing mobile bots

This tactic results in various forms of fraud, including account takeovers, loyalty abuse

Unlike their web-based counterparts that generate suspicious network traffic, mobile bots operate on the client side, embedded within the application.

They exploit APIs, sessions, and the app's internal logic, making each action appear genuine to the backend servers interpreting them. 

This tactic results in various forms of fraud, including account takeovers, loyalty abuse, and payment fraud, especially in apps insufficiently equipped to counter these threats.

Techniques employed by mobile bots

Mobile bots utilise diverse techniques to remain undetected and expand their influence, such as:

• Emulators & Device Farms – Imitate thousands of real devices concurrently.
• Runtime Injection Tools – Modify app logic in real time to bypass security protocols.
• Repackaged Apps – Integrate bot code into modified versions of authentic applications.
• Malware on Devices – Intercept app communication and automate internal actions.
• Accessibility Abuse – Simulate user interactions like tapping, typing, and navigation within apps programmatically.

These methods make mobile bots increasingly challenging to detect and scale up in operation.

Enterprise risks and current threat landscape

Mobile applications have evolved into crucial access points for customer engagements, encompassing activities, such as logins, bookings, payments, and even healthcare records. Some mobile apps also underpin vital enterprise functions. Therefore, mobile bots are escalating beyond mere nuisances to significant business risks.

These bots operate from infrastructure controlled by attackers using emulators and device farms, or they reside silently on compromised devices, conducting fraudulent activities or disseminating malicious links. Recent investigations have identified over 600 bot samples and more than 50 dropper variants, underscoring the accelerated pace of this growing threat.