WOBURN, Mass. — Mobile malware is expected to double this year based on the number of new malware signatures that have been detected so far this year.
According to a Kaspersky Lab security report, the popularity of Google’s Android mobile operating system will drive the threat.
Kaspersky has identified, in the first quarter of the year, 50 malicious Android applications written by cybercriminals and distributed via the Android market.
These programs are repackaged versions of legal software that include malicious Trojan components, ComputerWeekly reports.
Kaspersky predicts that the number of malicious programs will keep increasing because checking applications is labor-intensive and difficult to automate.
The firm reinforced the importance of mobile security based on the fact that smartphones will likely be used as mobile wallets in the future.