BlackBerry thwarts mobile phishing attacks with new AI tools

BlackBerry has announced a new solution for protecting mobile users against phishing attacks and mobile malware.

The new BlackBerry Protect Mobile is an artificial intelligence-based mobile threat defense (MTD) designed to detect attacks before they execute.

As the COVID-19 pandemic forces millions of workers to shift to remote work, mobile malware and phishing attacks are increasing. Frequently, when users' devices are compromised, they can infect their company's system quickly, but the company may not discover the issue for months.

BlackBerry Protect Mobile, which is based on the BlackBerry Spark platform, uses AI to detect attacks before they execute. It monitors attacks at the device and application level, allowing it to alert users before they open URLs leading to spoofed websites designed to collect data. It does all this without human intervention.

Protect Mobile also identifies security vulnerabilities and malicious activities by monitoring system parameters, device configurations and system libraries at the application level. Plus, it can identify malware from sideloaded apps and ensures applications come from secure repositories only.

"The number of phishing attacks that target mobile users will continue to rise because business is being conducted on mobile devices and users are more susceptible to attacks when viewing and accessing content on the go," said Billy Ho, executive vice president of BlackBerry Spark.

"BlackBerry Protect Mobile provides mobile device security integrated into our unified endpoint security (UES) solutions for a simplified approach to identifying and alerting users and administrators to phishing attempts and mobile malware across the enterprise."

BlackBerry is making a strong push to be a factor in the new work-from-home era. The launch of BlackBerry Protect Mobile comes alongside the release of BlackBerry Persona Desktop, an AI-powered security solution for desktops and laptops. BlackBerry Persona Desktop and Protect Mobile are part of the company's larger Cyber Suite.