UberMobile
Eric LaiSmartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
Summary: Do you believe that smartphones might be twice as infected with malware as Windows PCs? A poll by a leading security institute indicates it might be so.
Viruses, trojans, spyware - just a PC problem, right? Not according to the SANS Institute.
The cyber-security think-tank and training school discovered in an informal poll an 18% malware infection rate on its members’ devices.
The rate could easily be higher. The 18% figure came from the small percentage of respondents (15%) actually looking for malware. That means 85% of respondents bought into the common belief about smartphones being less vulnerable than PCs and had no malware protection running at all. That’s scary because as SANS readers, they are probably more security-conscious than the average. Meaning that the general population is probably more careless about mobile security than this demographic — and more likely to be infected.
(Note: SANS asked members not to report fairly benign items such as cookies as malware.)
In fact, according to Infoworld, smartphones may be infected at twice the rate of Windows PCs today (7-10%, according to Microsoft).
The figures are probably startling to most of us. My BlackBerries and iPhone 3GS have occasionally crashed or suffered a mysterious malfunction. But I never chalked it up to malware.
On the other hand, consider that smartphones are as powerful in absolute terms as many 6-7 year old laptops. They run fast operating systems, they surf the Web, they run Adobe Flash, they run apps, especially jailbroken ones.
Anecdotal reports of smartphone infections were already trickling in. The SANS figures add some scary statistical meat to them.
Personal users can install one of the many free anti-malware apps that abound. But enterprise IT managers should consider higher-grade tools such as SMobile.
Or deploy SMobile as part of a larger device management and security platform, for easier administration. Sybase’s Afaria has included SMobile’s anti-virus and firewall softwareas part of its overall mobile device management suite for the past two years.
With so much crucial business data residing on these increasingly-powerful devices (superphones, anyone?) it seems like it would be better to be safe than sorry.
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Talkback Most Recent of 13 Talkback(s)
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Android for sure.
Android's market is a malware factory, and they just added tools to help anyone with nefarious intent build more crap. (Get an iPhone.)
zd-crap13th Jul 2010 -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
@zd-crap
now theres a reall intelegent statement, NOT !!
scruff4013th Jul 2010 -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
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meimeili23rd Sep -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
@zd-crap
Is the solution to lock down the environment and force application developers through a funnel akin to the Apple Model?
And while we are at it what about...
Should tobacco be illegal to posses?
...should pot be legal?
Should fast food be illegal?
...how about Doritos after you smoke weed?
Do you want to see fewer options or do you like choices (in general, not just with cell phone platforms, applications, and sources of applications)?
Webbywarehouse14th Jul 2010 -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
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mingtian21st Sep -
iPhone for sure.
App Store is a malware factory, and they just added tools to help anyone with nefarious intent build more crap. (Get an Android.)
anothercanuck13th Jul 2010 -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
@anothercanuck : And soon the Android "store" will also get this crap.....
Gis Bun14th Jul 2010 -
7%-10% according to Microsoft.
Ya, let's take Microsoft stats at face value. After all MS has never lied.anothercanuck13th Jul 2010 -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
@anothercanuck
Do you trust Apple more than Microsoft?Webbywarehouse14th Jul 2010 -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
@anothercanuck : Seem to notice that you trust Google. Ya right. Why were they collecting data from WiFi spots when they were filming streets?Gis Bun14th Jul 2010 -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
While the 15% figure could be greater, it could also be less, if the users they surveyed were atypical (how do they compare in terms of web usage or app installation.)
Also, as suggested by your comment about unexpected crashes, people may take that behavior and form a doubt about the software installed on their phone. (Resource constraints and possible memory leaks are far more likely reasons, if you ask me.)
So. Well, the question of attack vectors rather than the incidence probabilities of infection are more important to me, as a smartphone user. I really don't want this to be fodder for some loudmouths' os war fusillades. I want to know where the dragons are so I stay away.
DannyO_0x9813th Jul 2010 -
RE: Smartphones: Twice As Infected With Malware As Windows PCs?
@zd-crap and @anothercanuck
That statement from zd-crap really got to you didn't it?
I hope it really hit home... right in your Android loving hearts...
dominic64_2003@...14th Jul 2010 -
On and on it goes
and where it ends, nobody knows.
klumper19th Jul 2010
Talkback - Tell Us What You Think
Blogger Biography
Eric Lai tracks the latest news and trends in enterprise mobility. A veteran tech journalist most recently covering enterprise software for Computerworld, Eric joined Sybase in April 2010. Follow him at ericylai@twitter. Eric's views are his alone and do not necessarily represent those of Sybase.
This blog is sponsored by Sybase.
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