Android malware surges to new highs in Q3

Despite Google's ongoing efforts to eliminate threats from its Play storefront, security firm F-Secure identified 51,447 unique samples of Android malware during the third-quarter of 2012, up from 5,033 the previous quarter. "The surge may better be attributed as a natural consequence of the continued high growth in Android smartphone adoption this quarter, particularly in regions such as China and Russia," F-Secure said. "In fact, in Q2, China officially surpassed the United States as the largest market for smartphones, with Android handsets accounting [for] 81 percent of that market. These expanding markets have also been notable for the proliferation of less-secure third-party apps markets, which are popular with users for various reasons. This factor may also account for the increasing number of malicious samples seen this quarter." Article