Doctor Web called Android the main platform for cybercriminals

Doctor Web published on its official website , calling Google's operating system the main platform for cybercriminals to operate in the mobile market. an extensive report on Android threats discovered in 2013

According to a report from Doctor Web, over the past 12 months, Google has not made any fundamental changes to the Android security system, which has led to a significant increase in the number of malware on this platform.

The number of threat descriptions in the Doctor Web database in 2013 increased by 122% compared to 2012 and almost a hundred times compared to 2010. Over the past 12 months, 1,547 viruses and Trojans were added to it, and their total number was 2,814.

The total number of threats detected by Doctor Web on other popular mobile platforms is 1.76 times less than on Android OS alone.

Most Android malware still targets SMS scams. The number of detected Trojans from the Android.SmsSend family more than doubled in 2013 and accounted for almost half of all types of threats on the Google OS. Most often, they make money by sending paid SMS messages without the user’s knowledge.

In 2013, Doctor Web discovered the largest mobile botnet in recent times, consisting of more than 200 thousand Android smartphones and tablets infected with Trojans such as Android.SmsSend.

There has been a sharp increase in the use of Android.SmsBot, which differs from SmsSend in that it does not send pre-programmed SMS messages, but allows an attacker to change their text at any time at will, as well as control various functions of the smartphone: delete messages, make calls and send user data to a remote server.

The number of Trojans aimed at stealing user bank card data has also increased. Most often, they disguise themselves as real bank applications, but after authorization they send all the data to the attackers. Another category that is not losing popularity among authors of malicious software is spyware that sends information about users to third parties.

Many such Trojans are available directly from the Google Play store under the guise of harmless applications or games. Some malicious applications are installed on users’ smartphones using advertising modules that inform the user about the need for a “critical update,” under the guise of which a Trojan was installed on the smartphone. Fake antiviruses, which themselves are actually malware, are also very popular.

Doctor Web representatives separately noted that many Trojans exploit not only the carelessness of smartphone owners, but also serious vulnerabilities in the Android platform itself, which can take months for manufacturers using their own builds to close.

A similar report from Kaspersky Lab published in November 2013 also reported that Android was the undisputed leader in the number of viruses and Trojans. However, a month earlier, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that his company's mobile operating system is safer than Apple's iOS.

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