Mobile malware targeting Android increases drastically

The amount of malware targeted against Android devices has increased by 37 per cent because the last quarter.

According to the McAfee threats report for the third quarter of 2011, nearly all new mobile malware in Q3 was targeted at Android. It claimed that probably the most popular sorts of mobile malware within the third quarter was SMS-sending Trojans which collect personal information for you to steal money.

Another new approach to stealing user information is malware that records phone conversations and forwards them to the attacker.

Vincent Weafer, senior vice-president of McAfee Labs, said: “This was an extremely steady quarter in relation to threats, as both general and mobile malware are more prevalent than ever. Up to now this year, we have seen many interesting yet challenging trends which might be affecting the threat landscape, including heightened levels of class and high-profile hacktivist attacks.”

Last year, McAfee Labs predicted that malware would reach 70 million unique samples by the top of 2011; however, as a result of rapid proliferation of malware this year, it has increased this prediction to 75 million.

Research from Fortinet also found that with Android reaching a 52.5 per cent share of the worldwide smartphone market, it accounts for the biggest percentage of all mobile malware seen by its labs.

It said the choice of distinct Android samples received by Fortinet in 2011 peaked at just over 50 in June, dropped in July and exceeded 200 in October. It said these samples were usually downloaded via the Android Market, either attempting to pass as a sound application or found within legitimate applications they'd infected.

Nigel Stanley, practice leader at Bloor Research, said Android is relentlessly targeted by hackers and before, it was Symbian that was most targeted but no hacker would consider that now.

"What is going to be a fascinating thing should be with Windows Phone 7.5, as we have to study that. The apps for Android may be side-loaded or downloaded from an unverified marketplace when users take a look at cheap alternatives where apps may be Trojanised, nevertheless it isn't really stopping people from choosing Android, especially while you study the issues BlackBerry had this year, so it's seen as a company alternative," he said.

"There'll be increasingly mobile malware next year, it's rising expedentially especially as phones are associated with people's bank accounts."