Mobile malware threats increased 163 per cent in 2012

Mobile malware threats increased 163 per cent to more than 65,000 in 2012, according to a new security report from NQ Mobile.
Nearly 95 per cent of all mobile malware discovered in 2012 targeted the Android OS.

The top three methods for delivering malware in 2012 were app repackaging, malicious URLs and smishing. NQ Mobile estimates that these forms of malware helped infect an estimated 32.8 million Android devices in 2012, an increase of over 200 per cent year-over-year. 

The top five markets for infected mobile devices were China (25.5 per cent), India (19.4 per cent), Russia (17.9 per cent), United States (9.8 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (9.6 per cent). 

Of malware discovered in 2012, 65 percent falls into a broader category of Potentially Unwanted Programmes (PUPs). PUPs include root exploits, spyware, pervasive adware and Trojans (surveillance hacks). 

Of mobile malware found in 2012, some 28 per cent was designed to collect and profit from a user's personal data. Of malware found, seven per cent was simply designed to make a user's device stop working. 

Looking ahead, NQ Mobile estimates that over ten million devices have already been infected in the first quarter of 2013.