Android facing growing malware problem claims McAfee

Says tech-attacks targeted at Android grew by 76% in the second quarter of 2011.

The amount of malware targeting Android devices rose by 76% in the second quarter of this year, according to research released by McAfee. That means Android is now the most popular mobile target for virus writers, overtaking Symbian for the first time.

"This year we’ve seen record breaking numbers of malware, especially on mobile devices, where the uptick is in direct correlation to popularity," says McAfee's SVP Vincent Weafer.

The company claims that mobile malware often mimics the code of PC-based threats, and poses as 'everything from calendar apps, to comedy apps, to SMS messages to a fake Angry Birds update'.

The rise in mobile attacks helped McAfee gather 12 million unique samples of malware for its 'Malware Zoo' collection in the first half of this year, with the company estimating it will top 75 million in total by the end of 2011.

Naturally, there is a business opportunity for McAfee in all this. The company announced earlier this month that its mobile security technology is now being preloaded in Sony Ericsson Xperia-branded Android smartphones.

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