Posted by Virus Bulletin on Mar 16, 2011
Poll shows smartphone users more likely to use anti-malware protection on their phones than three years ago.
In a poll of visitors to the VB website, 57% of smartphone users said they had no anti-malware protection on their phones - compared to 70% three years ago.
While this is still a large number of unprotected smartphone users, the drop in the number of users claiming to have no anti-malware protection suggests that mobile users are starting to take the security of their devices more seriously, and that malware protection for mobile devices is becoming more commonplace.
A few years ago, malware on mobile devices was little and far between, and consisted mainly of proof-of-concepts, but in 2010 an increase in monetized malware and malware targeting privacy was observed on mobile platforms, suggesting that mobile malware was moving into the realms of larger-scale cybercriminality. More worryingly, towards the end of 2010, the infamous Zeus gang - known for targeting online banking - started to show an interest in infecting mobile phones and released a new version of their bot which propagated a trojan for mobile phones. A detailed analysis of that trojan (named Zitmo) can be found in the current issue of Virus Bulletin magazine here (VB subscribers only), with a follow-up article due for publication in the April issue of the magazine.
The results of the 2008 poll can be read about here, and the 2011 poll can be seen here.
With 75% of employees predicted to be using a smart mobile device for work by the end of 2012, and the number of Internet-enabled mobile devices predicted to outgrow the PC by tenfold over the next decade, Greg Day will address the question 'Mobility - where is the real risk?' at the VB Seminar in May.
The VB Seminar takes place Tuesday 24 May 2011 at the OU campus, Milton Keynes, UK. Secure your place by booking online now. (Or download a PDF copy of the booking form and fax the completed form to us on +44 (0)1865 543153.)
Posted on 16 March 2011 by Virus Bulletin
