The latest Mobile Threat Report from mobile security company Lookout estimates that between 500,000 and 1 million people were affected by Android malware in the first half of this year. The report, which includes data gathered from more than 700,000 apps and 10 million devices worldwide, also notes that the number of infected Android applications rose from a total of 80 apps in January 2011 to over 400 apps in June.
As a result of this increase, Lookout says Android users are now two-and-a-half times as likely to encounter malware today as they were at the beginning of the year.
The report also says two new threats have been identified: ‘Malvertising’ (malicious advertising), where ads on legitimate mobile web sites direct users to malicious sites, and ‘Update Attacks’, where a non-malicious application is updated to a version that includes malware.
Overall, Lookout says 30% of Android owners are likely to encounter a web-based threat on their device each year. Mobile malware infection rates across Europe are generally low single-digit percentages.
