Most new malware in Q1 target Android: report

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 06/26/2013 5:20 PM | Updated as of 06/26/2013 5:20 PM

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MANILA Security software firm Kaspersky Lab has recorded 20,000 new modifications of popular mobile malware in the first three months of the year. According to Kaspersky Labs latest report titled IT Threat Evolution: Q1 2013, the number is nearly half of what the company found in the whole of 2012. It added that 99% of the new malware targeted Googles Android operating system. The number of apps for Android are constantly on the rise, and it is often a challenge to gain popularity with users which is why these illegitimate tactics are becoming all the more common, Denis Maslennikov, Kaspersky Lab security expert and the author of the report, said in a statement released on Wednesday. The report noted that SMS Trojans remain the most prevalent category of mobile threats during the first quarter of the year at 63.6%, with programs for Android such as Fakelnst, Opfake, Agent, AveaSMS, Walien, Trackplus, Copycat, Fav, Penetho, SMSReg and FaceNiff. Another new mobile malware called Perkel, a banking Trojan and MTK Botnet, has allegedly infected more than one million Android devices in China, it added. Kaspersky Lab said it detected and neutralized at least 1.3 billion threats during the three-month period. The United States remains the most targeted country used to seed malware at 25.1%, followed by Russia (19.2%), the Netherlands (14.4%), Germany (11.5%), Ukraine (3.3%) and Great Britain (3%). Other countries contributed around 1.8% or less, the report said. On the other hand, countries found with the highest risk of infection from malware include Tajikistan, Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, Georgia, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Greece, Italy, India, Algeria, Lithuania and Latvia. Meanwhile, Kaspersky Lab said safe zones against malware infection include Japan, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway. Jimmy Fong, channel sales director for Kaspersky Lab Southeast Asia, said that the Philippines seems relatively safe from major mobile malware and cyber espionage. But he was quick to add that attacks against government institutions and businesses are possible. These attacks can be dangerous for any institution especially now that the Philippines is linked to other countries via broadband Internet connections. Security even in the virtual world is the responsibility of everyone and putting in place the best security solutions is paramount, Fong said.