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A New Instance of Android Malware is Discovered Every 10 Seconds, Say Researchers (9to5google.com)

Posted by msmash on from the story-of-our-lives dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Security firm G Data says that a new piece of Android malware is discovered every 10 seconds. At this rate, the company is predicting that there will be 3,500,000 new malicious Android files by the end of the year. "The threat level for users with smartphones and tablets with an Android operating system remains high. In all, the G DATA security experts expect around 3.5 million new Android malware apps for 2017," they said. The firm said that the risk was heightened by the fact that only a small minority of users are on the latest version of Android.

5 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Are we at the point yet by sl3xd · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That we can accept as a community that Android has a serious problem that needs solving, and needs to join its competition in the leper colony?

    --
    -- Sometimes you have to turn the lights off in order to see.
    1. Re:Are we at the point yet by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No.

      Most of the "discovered" malware is in APKs (where's the Appy App Guy?) that is on sources other than the Google Play Store. You have to want to be infected to be infected. Kind a like saying "My google was hacked" during the last few days, when the reality is, you "allowed" it to be installed.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    2. Re:Are we at the point yet by Mordaximus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That we can accept as a community that Android has a serious problem that needs solving, and needs to join its competition in the leper colony?

      Walled gardens aren't a solution to the problem. The piece of the puzzle that keeps the platform you alluded to less vulnerable is that OS updates are available at the same time, for every supported device. While with android (with some notable exceptions) you are at the whim of the telcos AND vendors to get updates, if you ever do. The fractured landscape is the major issue.

    3. Re:Are we at the point yet by pr0fessor · · Score: 4, Informative

      No.

      Google tries to keep malware out of the play store but malware does make it's way into the play store.

      Things like this are constantly popping up... Thinking that only using the google play store is enough is wrong.

      http://www.technewsworld.com/s...

      http://www.zdnet.com/article/c...

  2. How many people do they employ? by omnichad · · Score: 3, Interesting

    They found one instance of polymorphic malware and are using it to pad their numbers and make them look like they're working harder.