It seems Android malware writers are getting every more creative, and the threat to users of Google’s free OS every increasing.
According to research by Lookout Security half million to one million people were affected by Android malware in the first half of 2011, with Android apps infected with malware going from 80 apps in January to over 400 apps cumulative in June 2011.
Attackers are deploying a variety of increasingly sophisticated techniques to take control of the phone, personal data, and money. Additionally, malware writers are using new distribution techniques, such as malvertising and upgrade attacks.
The company described ways even regular and careful users could be affected, for example by drive by web exploits and in-app advertising of malware in legitimate apps, as was recently the case with an app which claimed to be a battery saving utility which then sent premium text messages at $40 per message.
According to Lookout Android users are two and a half times as likely to encounter malware today than 6 months ago and three out of ten Android owners are likely to encounter a web-based threat on their device each year.
Lookout offers a number of techniques which could help Android users to stay safer, including installing virus scanners for Android. They however neglect the most effective- switching to a platform which takes security seriously likes Windows Phone 7, rather than a model which would simply repeat the mistakes of the PC world.
Read more at Lookout here.