Malware Infections on Smart-Phones Increase 400 Percent during 2016

One fresh Threat Intelligence Report from Nokia just published finds that malware infections on mobile devices increased the maximum during 2016. Devices most vulnerable were smart-phones which were infected 400% times during the year. During July-December 2016, assaults targeted at smart-phones accounted for 85% of the total contaminations on mobile devices. Techrepublic.com posted this dated March 27, 2017.

There was a constant rise in contaminations of smart-phones all through 2016, according to the report, with malicious content hitting 1.35% of the total smart-phones in October that year when the rate was the highest observed since 2012.

Nokia contends that the rise in mobile device attacks emphasizes that the industry requires yet again examining these devices' release in the market which can enjoy wireless Internet connection for making sure they're protected as well as configured in a way that security is maintained.

Chief of Nokia's Threat Intelligence Lab, Kevin McNamee during one press release said that IoT devices' security was currently a prominent concern. The 2016 attacks by Mirai botnet showed how innumerable IoT devices that weren't secured could get compromised without difficulty for executing devastating DDoS assaults. With the increase in different types as well as number of those devices as continuously proliferating, there would merely be an increase in the risks, McNamee elaborated.

Previously also Nokia cautioned of smart-phones getting used more and more to scam the general public. Besides, according to the telecommunications firm, malicious infections were the highest during April when they struck 1.06% of the total smart-phones monitored. The implication is that for each batch of 120 mobile devices, a lone one was inflicted with a malware installation. According to Nokia, these malware consisted of SMS Trojans, spyphone applications, ransomware, or malicious operations like adware installation and private details' theft.

Interestingly, Android devices keep on being the most preferred area for malware assaults, accounting for 81%. But during July-December 2016, mobile devices, in particular iOS devices, too got hit at the rate of 4%.

Above all, the report tells that malware-infected Windows computers represented 15% during H2-2016, which was a slide-down from 22% during January-June 2016.

» SPAMfighter News - 3/31/2017