Mobile security firm Trend Micro has warned the threat from viruses on smartphones will increase in 2013.
The Cambridge-based firm, which claims to be the third biggest security firm in the world behind McAfee and Norton, warns that threats to smartphones, particularly Android, are now similar to those on a PC.
According to the firm, malware targeting Android increased nearly sixfold from July to September last year, from around 30,000 “malicious” and potentially “dangerous” applications to more than 175,000.
Risks include:
- Espionage to gain private information from the phone
- Aggressive advertising which cannot be removed
- Spam
The firm predicts that next year viruses will be able to feed information from the likes of banking applications, putting customers at great financial risk.
Trend Micro’s director of security research Rik Ferguson says the challenge in the UK still lies around raising awareness, as mobile users are still unwilling to accept there is a threat to their phones. ‘Black Hole’ exploit kits, currently the biggest threat to computer security, are already collecting information on mobile operating systems, according to Ferguson.
“We will soon see the first exploit kits capable of targeting mobile devices, where your phone can be infected just by accessing a web page.”
Download our PDF – ‘Staying Safe’ – for tips on protecting your smartphone against harmful viruses
