Juniper Networks has published their 2011 Mobile Threats Report. In it, Juniper states the greatest number of attacks have been perpetrated against Android devices, which makes sense given the open platform of the Android Market. The increase in Android attacks is said to be over 3,000 percent over the last year.

But even more alarming are the actual numbers. In 2010, just over 11,000 samples of malware were reported across all operating systems. In 2011, that number shot up to almost 29,000. And given that Apple has recently reported that they have in the past year sold more iOS devices than they have Mac computers since they started selling Mac computers, it is easy to see where this malware trend is going.

What the Numbers Say

The Juniper report shoots out a whole list of other numbers that are, to the say the least, disconcerting. Thirty percent of apps have the ability to obtain (via GPS) the location of a device (i.e., the user) without the user’s explicit consent. There are 14.7 percent of apps that can initiate a phone call without the user having knowledge that they have given the consent to do so. Six percent of applications request the ability to look up all the accounts on the device (and not always in a manner that is forthcoming). Although these are considered to be suspicious and not malicious in the industry, it is unlikely that the average user would agree.

The Culprits

There are two basic types of malware: SMS (Short Messaging Service) Trojans and spyware, the latter being the most prevalent. SMS Trojans trick users into sending out premium messages on behalf of a malicious third party. The user usually does not find out that these message have been sent until they receive their bill.

Spyware, on the other hand, is a little more insidious in that it is often harder to detect. It also accounts for 63 percent of the identified samples of malware. Spyware can cull information from a user ranging from their GPS coordinates to their text messages as well as their browser history—all of which can be used to extract sensitive and lucrative information from a user.

Google to the Rescue?

Google recently announced its new malware patroller codenamed “Bouncer.” Hiroshi Lockheimer, Android vice-president of engineering, wrote on the Google blog that “once an application is uploaded, the service immediately starts analysing it for known malware, spyware and Trojans. It also looks for behaviours that indicate an application might be misbehaving, and compares it against previously analysed apps to detect possible red flags.”

Lockhemier also states that “the service has been looking for malicious apps in Market for a while now, and…we saw a 40 percent decrease in the number of potentially-malicious downloads from Android Market.” Given that Google is the maker of Android, it is not a bad idea that they spearhead the fight against malware attacks against Android devices. However, it is unlikely that any real solution will come from one source. If that were true, then in the PC world, there would be one anti-virus to rule them all.

iOS Devices versus Android

The Juniper report also makes it clear that although iOS devices fair better because of Apple’s strict policy on app development and publication, they are by no means immune to attacks. iOS malware usually stem from ‘jailbroken’ devices that permit the proliferation of unapproved apps or from errors in code-signing restrictions that can lead to unapproved apps being uploaded to the App Store, as was recently demonstrated by Dr. Charlie Miller at Accuvant LABS.

Apple’s iOS sandboxing model is also part of the problem because it uses only one sandbox to run all its applications. Although Android runs a separate one for each of its applications, the Android Market allows any developer to upload their potentially malicious app, which is the reason why Android devices are so susceptible to attacks.

What the Infographic Says

The Juniper report also includes an infographic of the month-to-month appearance of new and malicious attacks against all mobile operating systems in 2011. It would seem that the only month specific malicious activity was not reported was in August, which might lead one to believe that even hackers take vacation time. However, what this graph is really suggesting is that malware is on the rise, and not just of the PC variety.

We take for granted that our phones are really computers and that more and more we are using them as such. Apps have become so sophisticated and widespread that even most banks these days have a mobile division. Your smartphone is no longer a mere diversion to go gather some eggs with some angry birds.