Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

F-Secure: Android Accounted For 97% of All Mobile Malware In 2013

Posted by Soulskill on from the going-for-the-high-score dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Back in 2012, Android accounted for 79 percent of all mobile malware. Last year, that number ballooned even further to 97 percent. Both those data points come from security firm F-Secure, which today released its 40-page Threat Report for the second half of 2013. More specifically, Android malware rose from 238 threats in 2012 to 804 new families and variants in 2013. Apart from Symbian, F-Secure found no new threats for other mobile platforms last year."

5 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. welcome to the big time by smash · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Linux is secure, right? Isn't Android Linux?

    This is what you get running unsigned code from anywhere people! The last 30+ years of malware on Amiga, DOS, Windows, Unix, Linux, etc. should be a lesson. Trust code to execute by default and this is what you get. Rely entirely on the end user to determine whether or not code is legitimate, and this is what you get.

    The average Joe is not capable of making that decision. Sure, it sucks, but them's the breaks.

    --
    I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
    1. Re:welcome to the big time by swillden · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Android has problems with it's "app store".

      RTFA (I know, I know, new here and whatnot):

      The title of the article is "F-Secure: Android accounted for 97% of all mobile malware in 2013, but only 0.1% of those were on Google Play".

      Essentially all of the Android malware comes from non-Google app stores, or sideloaded APKs. And with respect to the malware that does manage to make it into the Play Store, F-Secure says "the Play Store is most likely to promptly remove nefarious applications, so malware encountered there tends to have a short shelf life.”

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  2. Moral of the story: by Johnny+Loves+Linux · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Don't install apps from back alleyways:

    At the very bottom of the list was Google Play itself, with the lowest percentage of malware in the gathered samples: 0.1 percent. F-Secure also noted that “the Play Store is most likely to promptly remove nefarious applications, so malware encountered there tends to have a short shelf life.” While that’s great news for most Android users, it

    Why would anybody shop for apps on their android phone/tablet like a crack addict looking for their next hit is beyond me. Are people really that naive?

  3. Left out a key piece of the original headline by Kelson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "...but only 0.1% of those were on Google Play"

    So that vast majority is practically all third-party installations (something which isn't even an option on iOS).

    1. Re:Left out a key piece of the original headline by Shados · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The ability is off by default, you have to go pretty deep in the options to turn it on, when you do turn it on, you get all sorts of warning telling you to watch out. And if you do turn it on and do something stupid, you may get malware

      That's leagues better than not having the option at all (or to have to use what basically amount to root exploits to enable it), as well as better than having the option on by default for everyone.

      There's some collateral damage (the cheap bozos who wants to save 5 bucks and get owned in the process), but its worth it.