Symantec: Mobile Malware Follows The Money

The malware threat in smartphones is only just beginning as criminals seek to find financial benefits
Despite the scams and poisoning of apps, criminals are finding it hard to steal money through Android but things may change, according to a Symantec report.

The Motivations of Recent Android Malware points out that smartphones are still in their early days but are being used increasingly for commerce and as this increases so will the threats. At the moment the potential returns are too small to attract the same kind of attention that is given to PC’s by cyber-criminals.

The Three Conditions
One of the authors of the report, Eric Chien, technical director of Security Technology and Response at Symantec, wrote that mobile malware needs three things to happen before the smartphone becomes a major target.

Two of these requirements are in place because we have an open and ubiquitous platform. Compared with Apple iOS devices, the operating environment is more open because applications are to a large degree unvetted and can be readily downloaded from a number of sites rather than the single iTunes App Store. Also, the number of Android phones in use has surpassed the number of Apple mobile devices, so there are more potential targets that may be exploited.

Read the Full Article at eWeek Europe