Understanding Cybersecurity on Smartphones (UCSph) Part 1

The smartphone is one of the most remarkable inventions in contemporary human history and is currently the most widely utilized electronic device globally. Its evolution has transformed modern communication technology, allowing us to communicate efficiently and instantly across vast distances worldwide. This series delves into the historical evolution of the modern smartphone, shedding light on its significant contributions and addressing cybersecurity-related concerns associated with smartphones and their diverse applications (apps).

The previous series, entitled Understanding Android Malware Families (UAMF), showcased six articles focusing on Android malware’s primary categories and families, guiding readers to understand the threats’ behavior and explore mitigation procedures. It presented the findings of our ongoing Android malware analysis research project initiated in 2017, which included the creation of four datasets—AAGM2017, AndMAl2017, InvestAndMAl2019, and AndMal2020. The series also encompassed related academic articles proposing solutions and techniques for detecting and characterizing Android malware.

In this series, Understanding Cybersecurity on Smartphones (UCSSph), we will conduct an in-depth analysis of various smartphone operating systems, including iPhone, Windows, Symbian, Tizen OS, Sailfish OS, Ubuntu Touch, KaiOS, Sirin OS, and Harmony OS. This five-article series aims to provide valuable insights and recommended practices for researchers, developers, and users. The series draws from the content of the recent book, Understanding Cybersecurity on Smartphones, published by Springer this year. The first article focuses on Apple’s iOS, a global leader in mobile systems, exploring cybersecurity vulnerabilities, associated risks, malware families, attacks, and mitigation techniques.

1       iOS fundamentals.

2       Getting into cybersecurity – recognizing iOS vulnerabilities.

3       Exploring adversarial tactics in iOS..

3.1        Propagation.

3.2        Activation.

3.3        Carrier.

3.4        Execution.

3.5        Persistence.

4       Analyzing iOS malware varieties & tools.