Android Most Targeted Mobile Malware in Q2 2011: McAfee‎

[RockdaMan]

Google's Android has overtaken Java Micro Edition as the most attacked mobile platform, McAfee said in its latest quarterly threat report.

Android malware jumped 76 percent since the first quarter, according to the report. However, that number sounds bigger than it really is, as McAfeeLabs identified only 44 total Android threats this spring. To put that figure in context, McAfee collects about 2 million new malware samples, regardless of platform, every month and found 12 million unique types of malware in the first half of 2011. Researchers expect to have 75 million samples by the end of the year.

Android "could become an increasing target for cybercriminals—affecting everything from calendar apps to comedy apps to SMS messages to fake Angry Birds updates," McAfee said.

Attackers wouldn't be focusing on a platform if they weren't making money, and the malicious apps don't need to be that widespread to be worthwhile

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/An...McAfee-128399/

[madsquabbles]

as easy as google makes it to distribute malware in it's own store would you be surprized?

[Graham]

As noted in the quote above:

Android malware jumped 76 percent since the first quarter, according to the report. However, that number sounds bigger than it really is, as McAfeeLabs identified only 44 total Android threats this spring.

So the new threats found went up from 25 in Q1 to 44 in Q2. In a market of 250,000+ apps.

McAfee collects about 2 million new malware samples, regardless of platform, every month and found 12 million unique types of malware in the first half of 2011. Researchers expect to have 75 million samples by the end of the year.

So for the first half of the year they found 25 + 44 = 69 threats on Android, out of 12 million across all platforms.

Keep an eye on the situation? Yes, of course. Be overly concerned at this stage? No.

Graham

[Synergi]

Originally Posted by Graham

As noted in the quote above:



So the new threats found went up from 25 in Q1 to 44 in Q2. In a market of 250,000+ apps.



So for the first half of the year they found 25 + 44 = 69 threats on Android, out of 12 million across all platforms.

Keep an eye on the situation? Yes, of course. Be overly concerned at this stage? No.

Graham

0 is better. Especially if one of those 69 has the slightest chance of stealing your identifying information. That is a nightmare to fix once it happens and Google should do a better job at screening at least the stuff in their own story.

I pretty much use just Amazon now, and once they release a tablet, I think they might end up bigger then Googles own Market store. A good part of that is the ecosytem, the other part is the amazon experience and feeling safe with Amazon. Things I never felt I had to worry about with Apple.

[afv011]

With the permission system, you pretty much have to grant the app those permissions for it to do any harm. If you pay attention to what you install, and check the permissions requested before you proceed, you should be OK. Now, if you get apps from the darknet and install them without even checking what permissions they are asking for, you know what you're getting into.

Apps can always exploit vulnerabilities, but most threats can easily be prevented by just some common sense.