Mobile Security Must be a Priority for your Business this Summer
As summer travel ramps up, so does the cybersecurity risk for enterprise organizations. From client meetings and conferences to site visits and offsites to personal travel, employees are on the move—and so are the cybercriminals looking to exploit them.
Phones and tablets have become essential productivity tools for a mobile workforce. But without the right protections in place, these devices can become serious liabilities—especially during travel, when vigilance is low, free public-WiFi are everywhere, and attackers know exactly how to strike.
Mobile Threats Are Surging—And Travel Season Amplifies Them
Zimperium’s 2025 Global Mobile Threat Report revealed that mobile threats aren’t just growing—they’re evolving. Attackers are actively shifting to a mobile-first attack strategy, leveraging social engineering, mobile malware, rogue networks, and app vulnerabilities to access sensitive corporate data.
Key 2024–2025 Insights:
- Phishing dominates mobile threat activity, with nearly one-third of mobile threats attributed to phishing. A large portion stems from SMS-based phishing (mishing) and PDF-based attacks disguised as travel-related notifications.
- Sideloaded apps—apps downloaded from outside official app stores—are present on nearly 25% of enterprise devices, dramatically increasing the risk of hidden malware.
- One in four devices can no longer update to the latest OS, locking in known vulnerabilities and creating long-term exposure.
- 60% of Android apps in enterprise environments rely on basic security tools, and 60% of iOS apps lack basic code protection, leaving corporate apps wide open to reverse engineering and tampering.
- Over 5 Million Public Unsecured Global Wi-Fi networks found since beginning of 2025 with 33% of users connecting to public unsecured networks
During travel, these risks multiply. Airports, hotels, rideshare hubs, and cafés all offer rich hunting grounds for attackers leveraging man-in-the-middle attacks or malicious public Wi-Fi. And employees, often multitasking or in a hurry, are far more likely to click, install, or connect without thinking twice.
4 Major Mobile Threats Facing Traveling Employees
- Man-in-the-Middle (MiTM) Attacks via Public Wi-Fi
Employees often connect to hotel, airport, or conference Wi-Fi—networks that can be easily spoofed. Attackers use rogue hotspots to intercept data, inject malware, or steal credentials. - Phishing Disguised as Travel Alerts
Fake boarding passes, hotel confirmations, or itinerary changes sent via SMS or PDF can trick users into entering credentials or downloading malware—a trend Zimperium threat researchers have tracked closely. - Sideloaded or Risky Apps
While on the road, employees often install new apps—language tools, transportation apps, or entertainment—many of which haven’t been vetted and can carry hidden payloads. - Captive Portals Collecting Personal Data
Many public Wi-Fi networks require users to pass through captive portals that request email addresses, phone numbers, or even social logins. These portals can be spoofed or compromised, enabling attackers to harvest personal or corporate data and use it for future phishing or credential-stuffing attacks.
Malware Hot Spots: Southeast Asia and Beyond
Zimperium threat intelligence shows a significant spike in mobile malware activity across Southeast Asia, with Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines experiencing some of the highest volumes of malicious activity. These regions have become frequent targets for threat actors leveraging sideloaded apps, malicious links, and insecure network access to compromise mobile devices—especially those used during travel.
Interestingly, Luxembourg has also emerged as a global outlier, experiencing an unexpectedly high rate of mobile malware attacks. The convergence of international business travelers, dense digital infrastructure, and a high mobile usage rate may be contributing factors.
While global hotspots lead in volume, major U.S. cities like Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Miami, and Seattle are seeing increased mobile malware activity—particularly during peak travel months. These urban centers, with their high density of mobile users and transient populations, offer ideal conditions for attackers to exploit public unsecured networks and unprotected devices.
(fig. 1: Regional Malware Heat Map)
For business travelers visiting these regions, the risk is real: compromised devices can quickly become gateways into corporate environments, especially when security controls are not enforced or visibility is lacking.
Key Takeaway: Whether you're heading to Southeast Asia or a European business hub, mobile malware doesn’t discriminate by location—but it thrives on opportunity. And summer travel creates plenty of it.
Follow a Mobile Security Checklist:
To keep your corporate network secure during peak travel season, make sure you have visibility into all mobile endpoints, enforce device compliance, and block connections to public unsecured Wi-Fi.
Don’t Let Mobile Travel Be Your Blind Spot
Mobile threats don’t take vacations—in fact, they accelerate when your workforce hits the road. A single compromised device can open the door to a full-scale breach. This summer, give your security team peace of mind: secure every mobile endpoint, empower employees with knowledge, and deploy proactive protection like Zimperium Mobile Threat Defense.
