Mobile malware multiplying in millions

Malware samples have increased in the last four years with over 1.5m new threats identified since this year’s first quarter according to McAfee.

The security software company identified new threats such as mobile “drive-by downloads”, the use of Twitter for control of mobile botnets, and the appearance of mobile “ransomware”.

Through McAfee Threats Report: Second Quarter 2012, McAfee Labs has witnessed rapid growth in its database or “zoo” of malware samples.

With the malware sample discovery rate accelerating to nearly 100,000 per day, McAfee has identified key malware variants affecting a range of users globally.

“Over the last quarter we have seen prime examples of malware that impacted consumers, businesses, and critical infrastructure facilities,” says Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs.

“Attacks that we’ve traditionally seen on PCs are now making their way to other devices.

“For example, in Q2 we saw Flashback , which targeted Macintosh devices and techniques such as ransomware and drive-by downloads targeting mobile.

“This report highlights the need for protection on all devices that may be used to access the Internet.”

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