Palo Alto Networks has announced that its WildFire malware analysis sandbox is now capable of analysing Android applications in the APK file format to identify advanced threats in Android applications.
Earlier this year, Jon Oltsik, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, noted that mobile malware increased more than 1,000% in 2012 and that volume and sophistication will continue to increase in 2013.
Due to the Android OS open development environment and its popularity, which according to IDC held a leading 79.3% market share in Q2 2013, Android-based smartphones and tablets are susceptible to mobile malware.
The platform provides an enticing way for cybercriminals to attack networks as evidenced by the recent distribution of the ‘BadNews’ malware via a mobile advertising network.
René Bonvanie, CMO at Palo Alto Networks, said: "Smartphones and tablets are rapidly becoming as powerful and as common as PCs on the enterprise network. Protecting these devices from cyber threats is one of the rapidly emerging fronts in cybersecurity, and with this functionality in the WildFire sandbox we provide an easy way for enterprises to protect themselves from these threats."
To address the challenge of advanced threats, organisations need to ensure their security strategies account for threats targeting their employees’ mobile devices and the networks to which they are connected.
Unlike traditional security solutions that focus on the endpoint, Palo Alto Networks WildFire captures malware in the network and in the wild, and actively analyses it in a virtualised Android environment to proactively protect networks against new APK-based malware.
