Malware on Mobile Handsets Increasing Though Not yet Alarming

The latest targets of high-tech cyber-criminals and hackers are tablets and smart-phones, shows data that Nokia has recently compiled. The Threat Intelligence Report by Nokia for January-June 2016 states that there has been a 96% jump in malware infections on mobile handsets during the period.

The telecommunications business has uncovered that smart-phones currently are targets of 78% of infections with respect to mobile networks. Moreover, according to Nokia, malware infections were at the peak during April, with the attacks striking 1.06% of the entire number of mobile devices traced, implying one smart-phone out of a batch of 120 contracted some malware or other. The company indicated that the malware types which infected mobile devices were Trojans, adware and ransomware in addition to attacks which stole personal information.

According to Chief of Nokia's Threat Intelligence Lab Kevin McNamee, these days, miscreants carry out attacks on many more platforms and against many more applications that also include new IoT gadgets and widely played mobile games. The attackers are also innovating increasingly advanced and destructive malicious software, he adds. Themalaymailonline.com posted this, September 2, 2016.

Unfortunately, says Nokia, malware infections were the maximum on devices which had Android OS running, with the rate of infections detected on mobile handsets being 74%. In comparison, 22% of infections are on Windows operating system (OS) running computers and 4% on Apple iOS mobile phones. Nokia in its malware database shows that the total count of contaminated Android applications went up 75% from 5.1m during December 2015 to 8.9m during July 2016.

With a 96% hike in malware contaminated handsets infections of smart-phones being used is in the ratio of one in a batch of 120.

Moreover, if the report's total infections get added up, smart-phones and tablets infected become just 0.49% among the total infections of the total count of devices as well as all mobile/fixed networks.

And though the situation isn't yet alarming, still we should listen to Nokia's warnings. Hacking into Android-based and iOS devices is happening around the world. Both America's banking regulators and the FBI are cautioning people regarding using smart-phones for conducting banking operations.

» SPAMfighter News - 9/7/2016