Expect more Android security issues in 2013
Android vulnerabilities, increased online banking threats and availability of sophisticated, inexpensive malware toolkits are among the growing concerns cited in Trend Micro’s Q2 2013 Security Roundup Report.
The report describes cyber-security threats from the previous quarter combined with analysis to evaluate and anticipate emerging attacks.
Android devices are directly in the crosshairs of hackers as threats proliferate and the user-base expands with little thought given to security. The report shows the number of malicious and high-risk Android apps has grown to 718,000 in the second quarter – a massive increase from the 509,000 high-risk apps found in the previous quarter.
These malicious apps are on track to exceed one million by year’s end, as predicted by Trend Micro in the 2013 forecast. By way of comparison, it took a decade for PC malware to amass this number.
According to Linda Barrabee, Research Director, Connected Intelligence at The NPD Group, approximately only 30 percent of all Android smartphones and tablets in the U.S., have any type of security app installed today. This fact, Trend Micro warns, combined with the Android network’s systemic problems leave a large number of Android devices exposed to a risk that will continue to spread.
“Due to the fractured nature of the Android network, it is very difficult for patches to reach all users in an effective timeframe. In some cases, users will never get patches as vendors leave their customers at risk of attack,” JD Sherry, vice president, technology and solutions, Trend Micro. “Until we have the same urgency to protect mobile devices as we have for protecting PCs, this very real threat will continue to grow rapidly. At the rate this malware is accelerating – almost exponentially – we appear to be reaching a critical mass. To fight this, Android users need to take great care when using their devices and take the simple, but effective, step of adding security software to all mobile devices.”
Online banking
The Trend Micro report also warned of increasing hazards to online banking, which saw malware increasing 29 percent from the previous quarter – from 113,000 to 146,000 infections. The U.S. was the top target of malware, with more than one million instances amounting to 28 percent of global compromises, followed by Brazil at 22 percent and Australia at five percent.
Preventative measures, such as closely monitoring account activity and using third-party security solutions, will help mitigate this growing threat.
Malware toolkits
Adding to this onslaught of cyber-security risks, the Trend Micro report found that the methods for selling malware toolkits have evolved. Sophisticated malicious tools are now being sold via inexpensive, free or bundled pricing schemes, such as two-for-one packages.
The ease of access to these effective malware toolkits increases the hazards Internet users will face going into the remainder of 2013 and beyond.