New Report Reveals History and Future of Mobile Malware

ORLANDO, Fla., June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, today released a report in participation with other members of Spain's National Cyber-Security Advisory Council (CNCCS) on the history, current state and future of mobile malware. Now available for the first time in the United States, the "Smartphone Malware Report" aims to raise awareness of the threats affecting mobile devices as well provides tips individuals can follow to avoid falling victim to mobile threats.

The complementary report can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/kk2x4T.

"One of the major challenges security vendors face is user mobility," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. "Enhancing the security of cell phones — through anti-malware, data protection, management and security audit functions — is a major challenge for any security department, and we must tackle this threat as soon as possible in order to help protect users' information and businesses. Even though cell phone malware is not a priority for cyber-crooks yet, we are starting to see the first major attacks on these platforms. We predict that the next few months will see significant growth in cell phone attacks, especially on Google's Android operating system."

"Security vendors have long warned about the fact that cell phones would overtake PCs as the primary cyber attack target, and 2010 has showed the first signs of that. We believe 2011 will really mark a turning point in this field," explained David Barroso, director of e-crime at Council member S21sec.

Smartphone Malware Report Overview:

Key topics covered in the report include:

• The history of mobile devices, and the evolution of the smartphone market from its onset to the present day
• Mobile device security issues and threat vectors
• The history of threats targeted the platform, including Cabir, WinCE.Brador.A , Skulls, Pbstealer, CxOver, Ikee.A and Ikee.B, Droid09 and modern Man-in-the-Mobile attacks
• Predictions for the future, including schemes that target mobile banking applications and capture sensitive information, programs that track users' locations through GPS, advanced social engineering attacks, and mobile worms that scan all devices connected to WiFi networks and exploit vulnerabilities to transmit malicious code to other systems

How Can You Protect Your Mobile Device?

Lack of security awareness among cell phone users and carelessness are two of the most important risk factors for smartphones. It is extremely important to understand that a smartphone is far more than just a phone and should be treated more like a computer due to the valuable information it stores.

To protect your mobile device, the CNCCS offers a series of best practices. These include:

• Enable access protection measures such as a PIN or password
• Configure the smartphone to automatically lock after a minute or so being idle
• Disable features not in use such Bluetooth, infrared or WiFi
• Before installing or using new smartphone apps or services, check their reputation and only install applications from trusted sources
• Keep your operating system and software applications up to date
• Be wary of any files, links or numbers received from unsolicited email or SMS messages
• Avoid using untrusted WiFi networks

About Panda Security

Founded in 1990, Panda Security is the world's leading provider of cloud-based security solutions, with products available in more than 23 languages and millions of users located in 195 countries around the World. Panda Security was the first IT security company to harness the power of cloud computing with its Collective Intelligence technology. This innovative security model can automatically analyze and classify thousands of new malware samples every day, guaranteeing corporate customers and home users the most effective protection against Internet threats with minimum impact on system performance. Panda Security has 61 offices throughout the globe with US headquarters in Florida and European headquarters in Spain. Panda Security collaborates with Special Olympics, WWF and Invest for Children as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility policy.

For more information, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com. Follow Panda on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Panda_Security and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PandaUSA.

SOURCE Panda Security