The holiday rush isn’t just a challenge for retailers, it’s a prime opportunity for cybercriminals. As employees shop, track packages, and manage personal errands from their work-connected mobile devices, the line between personal and professional risk disappears.
During the busiest shopping months of the year, mobile threats surge across three key fronts: mishing (mobile phishing), malware, and apps.
Mishing is the most immediate and scalable threat. Smishing (SMS/text) messages and fake delivery alerts spike up to 4x during November and December, impersonating trusted brands to trick users into clicking links, logging in, or downloading malicious “updates.”
Malware is also evolving. Banking trojans and remote access tools now target shopping and payment apps — not just traditional banks. These threats can exploit mobile permissions or accessibility features and even deploy malicious screen overlays to steal credentials, capture credit card data, and intercept one-time passwords.
Even legitimate apps can pose hidden risks if not properly secured. Rushed holiday updates, misconfigured SDKs, and excessive permissions can open pathways for data exposure or tampering. When employees use these apps on BYOD or COPE devices, the threat extends directly into enterprise environments.
For organizations these seasonal risks aren’t isolated — personal app compromise can lead to large-scale corporate compromise resulting in costly data theft, financial fraud, and reputational damage. As mobile commerce and corporate mobility continue to converge, protecting your ecosystem is now a business and compliance imperative.
The zLabs Mobile Shopping Report offers deeper insight into how mishing, malware, and app vulnerabilities intersect to put enterprises at risk during the holiday season. Discover what our researchers uncovered and how to strengthen your mobile defenses here.