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G DATA publishes Mobile Malware Report for the third quarter of 2015
December 2015 by G DATA
Out-of-date operating systems are running on over 80 percent of Android smartphones and tablets. Only about 20 percent of users are using an up-to-date Android operating system. That is the result of a inquiry conducted in October 2015 among users of G DATA security solutions for Android devices. This is either because of the long delays before manufacturers roll out updates to their customers or because these updates are not available on older devices. Further analyses and current malware figures can be found in the latest G DATA Mobile Malware Report for Q3/2015, which is now available online.
In the current Mobile Malware Report Q3/2015, G DATA security experts have looked into which Android versions are installed on smartphones and tablets with a G DATA security solution on them. Over 80 percent of people are using out-of-date Android versions that contain known security holes. Only about 20 percent are using an up-to-date Android operating system. As the statistics were generated in October 2015, the new Android 6 operating system (Marshmallow) is not yet included in the figures.
574,706 Android malware samples in the third quarter
By the end of the third quarter of 2015, G DATA analysts had already counted more Android malware instances (1,575,644) than in the whole of 2014 (1,548,129). 574,706 different Android malware strains were found in the third quarter alone. This represents an increase of 50 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.
Further forecasts
Android as a gateway for the Internet of Things: From fitness apps to vehicles, more and more devices are being networked together and can be linked to a smartphone or tablet. Such applications and the Android operating system are becoming more and more popular among cyber criminals, as they can offer a route for attack. More smartphones with pre-installed malware: More and more smartphones and tablets are afflicted with manipulated firmware. New results on this are expected in the coming months. Complex malware for online banking fraud: G DATA security experts expect to see an increase in complex malware that combines Windows and Android attack campaigns on online banking customers. The criminals’ aim is to manipulate banking transactions on the Internet.
