Android devices come under malware radar

BANGALORE, INDIA: Mobile vulnerabilities increased by 93 per cent in 2011. At the same time, there was a rise in threats targeting the Android operating system, finds Symantec Corp's Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 17 report.

With the number of vulnerabilities in the mobile space rising and malware authors not only reinventing existing malware for mobile devices, but creating mobile-specific malware geared to the unique mobile opportunities. 2011 was the first year that mobile malware presented a tangible threat to businesses and consumers.

These threats are designed for activities including data collection, the sending of content, and user tracking. 

Malicious Attacks Continue to Grow Rapidly

Symantec blocked more than 5.5 billion malicious attacks in 2011, an increase of 81 per cent over the previous year,

Moreover, the number of unique malware variants increased to 403 million and the number of Web attacks blocked per day increased by 36 per cent, the report adds.

At the same time, spam levels fell considerably and new vulnerabilities discovered decreased by 20 per cent. These statistics, compared to the continued growth in malware, paint an interesting picture. Attackers have embraced easy to use attack toolkits to efficiently leaverage existing vulnerabilities.

Moving beyond spam, cyber criminals are then turning to social networks to launch their attacks. The very nature of these networks makes users incorrectly assume they are not at risk and attackers are using these sites to target new victims. Due to social engineering techniques and the viral nature of social networks, it is much easier for threats to spread from one person to the next.

Rise of Data Breaches, Lost Devices Concern for the Future

Approximately 1.1 million identities were stolen per data breach on average in 2011, a dramatic increase over the amount seen in any other year, according to the report.

Hacking incidents posed the greatest threat, exposing 187 million identities in 2011 - the greatest number for any type of breach last year. However, the most frequent cause of data breaches that could facilitate identity theft was theft or loss of a computer or other medium on which data is stored or transmitted, such as a smartphone, USB key or a back-up device. These theft-or loss-related breaches exposed 18.5 million identities.

As tablets and smartphones continue to outsell PCs, more sensitive information will be available on mobile devices, workers are bringing their smartphones and tablets into the corporate environment faster than many organizations are able to secure and manage them.

This may lead to an increase in data breaches as lost mobile devices present risks to information if not properly protected.