INDIA, MUMBAI: The Quick Heal Security Threat Report for the third quarter of 2014 (July-September) confirms that Android malware threats are on the rise, as are Windows malware threats.
Key Android discoveries:
- Quick Heal Threat Research Labs discovered 47 new Android malware families and 218 new Android malware variants.
- More than 70% of the 1.2 million Android samples detected were classified as Adware. This has been a consistent trend throughout 2014.
- Since the first quarter of 2014, the number of Android malware samples has nearly tripled. This represents a 300% increase, demonstrating the spread of Android security risks.
- With the upcoming holiday sales expected to result in a rapid increase in online purchases via smartphones, banking credentials are expected to be compromised via Android phones.
- Fake apps and games have been discovered on Google Play and other third-party app repositories. These sources will continue to afflict Android devices in the near future.
Findings important to Windows:
- Over 650,000 malware samples were found to be of the infamous Kido worm, or close to 5% of all detected malware. This demonstrates that a few of computers are still using the outmoded version of Windows XP.
- According to Quick Heal Labs, the amount of adware infecting Windows computers has increased. Such programmes frequently accompany legal software downloads.
- This quarter, a ransomware known as “CryptoWall” has dominated and been found on numerous PCs.
- Malvertising is a method that is more frequently employed to transmit malware. For this, reputable advertising networks like Google Doubleclick are being utilised.
- The BadUSB vulnerability will affect more devices. Here, virus is coded into USB stick controller chips to propagate each time a USB stick is plugged in.
- This quarter’s threat landscape also included a few fresh attack vectors, such Malvertising and the Bad USB vulnerability. Although IT security technologies can aid users in avoiding online threats, it cannot take the place of fundamental cyber literacy. When combined with education, a trustworthy security solution may significantly improve the safety and value of our online experience.
