Report: Android malware increased 155% y-o-y

Mobile malware and spyware are exploding, according to networking manufacturer Juniper Networks in a new report, its Trusted Mobility Index. Android malware alone increased 155 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to the report. The larger security risk, however, lies in mobile spyware. Juniper found a similar amount of spyware from January to March 2012 compared to the previous eight years combined.

Click here to view the full infographic.

"While it is common knowledge that Spyware exists on laptops and personal computers, many do not realize it is possible for spyware to reside on a tablet or smartphone and steal sensitive personal, professional and financial information--all without the user's knowledge," wrote Juniper's Chief of Mobile Security, Daniel Hoffman, on the Juniper blog.

Many of these instances of spyware come from games and other apps, which have Trojans secretly embedded in them. This is especially of concern to BYOD users who may be using personal devices in the workplace.

Hoffman, in an interview with FierceMobileContent, explained that "by far most people are not putting a password on their devices," thereby making it that much easier for third-parties to access secure data.

Juniper found that 18 percent of users have very little confidence in mobile technology, with another 63 percent unable to decide if they can trust the security of mobile technology. Despite this, the report found that 76 percent of users access sensitive financial or medical information on their devices.

Juniper's Trusted Mobility Index surveyed over 4,000 mobile device users in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan and China.

For more:
- see the Juniper blog

Special Report: Security breaches in mobile: The worst of 2011-2012 (so far)

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