Android malware rises threefold in second quarter

Malware on Googles Android platform has risen threefold in the second quarter of this year, with nearly 15,000 new malware added to Kaspersky Labs database.

The rapid growth of Android in the booming smartphone arena has not come without its price, as hackers and cybercriminals now view it as an increasingly profitable target, leading to more than 14,900 new malicious programs during the three-month period.49 percent of these are multi-functional trojans, which steal data from mobile phones, including contact names, email addresses and telephone numbers, but they can also download more software from servers they are connected to, presenting an even greater threat to mobile users.A quarter of the malware on Android are SMS trojans, which steal money from users credit or adds to their bill by texting messages to premium-rate numbers without alerting the owner of the device. Often times these are only found out long after a large amount of money has been stolen, and Kaspersky Lab has detected a rise in use of such tactics, with at least 47 countries reporting incidents.18 percent of Android malware are backdoors, which give hackers full access to the device, allowing them to be used as part of a botnet.Just two percent of Android threats are trojan spy programs, but Kaspersky Lab said that these are the biggest threat, as they hunt out valuable information that can give access to users bank accounts.“In the near future, we expect not only more malware, but more effective and dangerous malware targeting Android,” said Yuri Namestnikov, Senior Malware Analyst at Kaspersky Lab. “Judging from existing trends, we should expect that cybercriminals will soon shift to more personalised attacks. This is primarily about malware hunting for confidential data with which to steal money from users’ credit cards.”With Android likely to grow even further in the coming years, users will need to stop seeing their smartphone as just a phone and more like their home computer – which needs regularly updated anti-virus software and a healthy dose of security common sense.