Push notifications are short messages delivered by an app or service to a user’s device, usually through a trusted mobile or browser notification system. They are common for account alerts, login approvals, delivery updates, and security warnings. In cyber security, that trust is important: users often treat a push alert as more legitimate than an email or web page because it appears inside an installed app.
Attackers can abuse that trust if they gain access to an app account, notification backend, or messaging integration. They may send fake breach warnings, pressure victims into contacting support channels, or trigger panic with misleading claims. Defenders reduce this risk with strong authentication for administrative systems, signed or authenticated message pipelines, limited access to notification services, and monitoring for unusual alert patterns. Users should verify unexpected notifications through official in-app screens or known support channels, not through the message itself.