by 
Finnish security firm F-Secure recently released a report based on cyber attacks on mobile devices and found that 99 percent of all new mobile malware threats detected in the past three months were targeted at Android. Apparently, malware makers have just thrown in the towel when it comes to attempting to infect Apple’s iPad and iPhone devices.
F-Secure’s First Quarter 2014 Mobile Threat Report covers the period beginning Jan. 1 and ending Mar. 31, 2014. The company discovered 277 new malware threats within that timeframe. Of the 277 new threats, 275 were directed at Android, while one was directed at iOS and one was directed at Symbian, currently used exclusively on a select few Nokia phones.
Some important notes about the discovery included a mobile banking trojan that has traditionally been dedicated to Windows PC has now hopped onto the Android operating system. Additionally, a “cryptominer” trojan was detected on Android that hijacks the device to silently mine virtual currency like “Litecoin.” The Dendroid Toolkit creates a remote access trojan that can infect a device and control audio and video functions, like triggering your camera to video you without your knowledge.
The reason hackers are switching to Android over iOS is due to Apple’s strict security measures. International Business Times noted that F-Secure chief research officer Mikko Hyppönen called the App Store “the biggest security innovation of the last 10 years.” Lucky for us iPhone and iPad users, Apple’s annoyingly stringent App Store regulations have proven to be our best defense against malicious software attacks on our devices.
» Related posts:
Millions of Android Devices Vulnerable to Heartbleed, iOS Not Affected
New BlackBerry Service Lets IT Departments Manage Apple iOS Devices
1Password for iOS and Mac ‘Heartbleed Sale,’ Half-Off for a Limited Time
