1 in 10 Android Apps Are Virus-Infected

[SynTAX]

Third-party markets in Asia are the main culprits.

The number of Android viruses continues to rise steadily; roughly one in ten apps are now fully or partially malware.

According to its half-year 2014 report, Cheetah Mobile collected 24.4 million sample files during the first six months of 2014. Of those samples, 2.2 million turned out to be viruses, or roughly 9% of the total.

In the first half of 2014, the number of samples that contained viruses also grew rapidly. Cheetah Mobile’s collection of 2.2 million virus samples constitutes an increase of 20.5 times over 2012’s numbers and an increase of 2.5 times over the total from 2013.

The firm also found that payment-based viruses are becoming more prevalent, endangering the finances of users. In fact, they accounted for more than two thirds of the aforementioned viruses, while consumption viruses occupy a distant second place at 16%. These two types of viruses mainly result in financial losses for the user.

“Since 2013, payment viruses have swept the globe and the growth rate in 2014 has reached new heights,” Cheetah noted in a blog. “In all current virus samples, payment viruses account for 68% of the total. It is theorized that their growth is concomitant with the growth of mobile payment systems worldwide. Hacking SMS or app payment methods is easier for hackers compared to hacking online banking systems.”

An analysis of the spread of payment viruses over the past year shows that in June 2013 there were on average 1,500 new virus variations popping up each month. However, in May 2014, this number increased to 6,500, increasing fourfold.

Payment viruses are also prominent worldwide. In the first half of 2014, Russia and southern Asia were the most widely infected areas, as shown below.

“2014 is destined to be the year in which mobile payment viruses become the primary threat to Android devices, both in terms of absolute number and proportion of infections,” the firm said.

Cheetah Mobile also found that Asia and select parts of Western Europe have undoubtedly had the highest rates of overall infection during the past six months. This is due in part to the prevalence of third-party app stores in these regions, which the firm said “have very lax checks to ensure that applications do not contain viruses. Malware, the primary vector for the spread of viruses, is often rife on these sites.”

The main Android markets are found in Korea (Samsung, T-store); the US (Amazon); Russia (Yandex store); and in China, there are countless markets.

In contrast, infection rates in the US, Australia and most other parts of Europe are low (except for France and Russia at 2.97% and 1.88% respectively). In all, the probability of a device in Asia being infected is two to three times greater than one in Europe or the Americas.

Sursa: Infosecurity - 1 in 10 Android Apps Are Virus-Infected