New Mobile Malware Files Increased 50% in 2015

If you think mobile applications are safer than using your PC, you might be right. After all, considering they are relatively new, the hackers haven’t penetrated them as much as computers. The truth is that online and mobile banking is very safe and secure, users just need to understand how to avoid the different scams put out by criminals that, among other things, can steal their banking credentials. Because so many people click on unexpected links and open unexpected attachments, criminals have no reason to slow down with their online banking malware proliferation.

Experts at security software company G Data took a look at nearly 2.5 million Android apps in 2015. Within those, over 750,000 new malware files were found in the fourth quarter alone. This represents an increase of nearly 32% over the third quarter. Overall, malware files that run on Android increased by over 50% from 2014.

For anyone using a device running the Android operating system, care should be taken to ensure those devices are always updated with the latest security patches and system updates. In addition, anti-malware should be installed and kept current.

If you have a smartphone running on an older version, it’s recommended to get that remedied as soon as possible. In fact, recently there was a banking credential-stealing bit of malware that took advantage of a vulnerability found in versions prior to 5.0. Xbot pretends to be your banking app, but in fact is a fake. In addition, it can encrypt your data and hold your device for ransom. No one wants to have to deal with that.

Another wicked piece of malware, Stagefright, took advantage of a security hole in Android too. In that case, nearly 1 billion devices were thought to have had the vulnerability. So, while we’re at it, it’s a reminder to do regular backups of your devices. Then you can just restore a recent version and avoid the stress, should this strike you.

While generally mobile banking apps are secure, it’s best to do any online financial transactions from a secure connection. This means avoid using free wireless at public locations. Even if there is a password, it doesn’t mean a hacker isn’t sitting in the corner intercepting all traffic on that connection.

Mobile malware is becoming more sophisticated. Hackers are specifically targeting those who adopt mobile banking and shopping. Any bit of data they can grab will be of value in some way. In a Nokia study, it found that smartphones were responsible for 60% of the mobile network infections.

Apple iOS users aren’t off the hook. The same Nokia study warned that within the top 20 list of mobile malware, the iOS-based XcodeGhost and FlexiSpy both appeared.