The first quarter of 2012 saw a steep rise in malware attacking the Android mobile operating system, according to a new report from McAfee.
The company’s Threats Report: First Quarter 2012 study also revealed that the quarter saw PC malware reach its highest levels in four years. Unsurprisingly, Mac malware also saw a big increase, meaning total malware files in the wild could hit 100 million by the end of the year.
McAfee estimates that during the first quarter of 2012 it collected 8,000 total mobile malware samples, a significant increase on the previous quarter.
Android was the primary target, with financial gain being the main motivation of cyber criminals. Through to the end of Q1, nearly 7,000 Android threats had been identified, up an incredible 1,200% from 600 at the end of the previous quarter.
The vast majority of these threats come from unofficial apps installed via third-party app stores, which Google has no control over.
One of the biggest stories of the quarter, the Flashback Trojan that targeted Mac computers, propelled Apple security into the spotlight. McAfee said that even prior to this Mac malware had been growing at a "consistent" rate.
Despite this, the figures compared to PC malware are still tiny. Just 250 new Mac malware samples and 150 new Mac fake anti-virus malware samples were collected during the quarter.
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According to McAfee, Q1 2012 had the largest number of PC malware detected per quarter in the last four years – totalling 83 million samples, up from 75 million at the end of Q4 2011.
"In the first quarter of 2012, we have already detected 8 million new malware samples, showing that malware authors are continuing their unrelenting development of new malware," said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs.
"The same skills and techniques that were sharpened on the PC platform are increasingly being extended to other platforms, such as mobile and Mac; and as more homes and businesses use these platforms the attacks will spread, which is why all users, no matter their platforms, should take security and online safety precautions," he added.
Further reading:
Lax Android security means 2012 will be year of mobile malware
Vulnerabilities down but attacks up in 2011: Symantec
Banking Trojans take aim at Android
Apple ’10 years’ behind Microsoft on security: Kaspersky
Kaspersky blames Apple for massive ‘Flashfake’ malware breakout
