Trend Micro: Mobile malware apps up five-fold in Q2

The threat of mobile malware has risen by more than five times, on the back of the rising popularity of smartphones, especially Android-based devices, in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Trend Micro in a study.
In its 2012 Q2 APAC Threat Landscape report released Friday, 25,000 mobile malware apps were identified as of the second quarter of 2012--a 417 percent rise from the first quarter. However, Trend Micro pointed out that only one in five mobile devices had security apps installed.
Trend Micro noted that advanced persistent threats (APT), were most prevalent in India and Taiwan, and were finding new methods to avoid detection. It pointed to IXESHE attacks as an new example of an attack targeting servers that belong to compromised organizations.
"The reason why criminals are focusing their attacks on stealing personal data is simple. It’s the sheer volume of small business owners working from multiple devices that leaves them vulnerable to attacks," said Myla Pilao, director of marketing communications, Trend Labs.
Trend Micro also noted a growing global trend in the increase in sophisticated attack tools like the Automatic Transfer System (ATS), which allows criminals to steal banking information when they are not online. "While ATS incidents have been spotted in Europe, the rising number of APAC online banking users means that ATS could be in the horizon," it said in the report.