Increased Malwares in Android Devices
According to Juniper Networks, malware target to Google’s Android mobile operating system has been quintupled since July.
They have reported that Android malware samples have increased 472% since July 2011. Much of that growth in malware was done in the months of September and October.
One of the causes of this increase in malware is the result of no control over apps installation, by Google, making it possible for third party app centers to allow downloading.
According to Juniper networks, many of the hackers developing the Android malware are specialized in Symbian and Windows mobile attack code.
From Juniper Networks,
The majority of malicious applications target communications, location, or other personal identifying information. Of the known Android malware samples, 55%, acts in one way or another as spyware. The other major type of attack, which make up 44%, are SMS Trojans, which send SMS messages to premium rate numbers owned by the attacker in the background of a legitimate application, without the person’s knowledge. Once these messages are sent, the money is not recoverable, and the owners of these premium rate numbers are generally anonymous. (Have you ever considered voting for American Idol via text message and it costs you $1.99 or $2.99 per vote? That’s how it works.)
