NetQin Reports 2,357 Handset Viruses in China
Netease Tech, 12/15/10
Chinese mobile security provider NetQin recently released its 2010 Report on Mobile Phone Security in the Mainland China Region. According to the report, the number of mobile viruses had grown by 1,513 as of November 2010, for a total of 2,357 viruses.
The report predicted a total of more than 2,500 mobile viruses for 2010, a YoY growth of 193%, affecting more than 8 mln mobile phones. Mobile phones in the Guangdong region were the hardest hit, with infection rates of 21%; the Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian, and Jiangsu regions followed.
At 32%, the majority of these viruses are "mobile zombies," which exist to run up charges or surreptitiously subscribe to value-added services. The number of viruses that run up bills against mobile subscribers' fees grew from 171 last year to 968 this year, affecting a total of more than 2.5 mln handsets.
As of November, Symbian was still the main mobile platform affected, accounting for 64% of all viruses; the Android platform accounted for another 7%. The report predicted that the open-source nature and relatively weak certificate-checking of the Android platform could make Android the main target for mobile attacks in 2011.
The report said that the main vectors of infection were mobile WAP and ordinary webpages, at 75%. SMS and MMS infections accounted for an additional 14%; Bluetooth transmissions, for 6%, and transmission via SD cards or other storage devices, for 3%. The remaining 2% of infections came from other sources.
Keywords: anti-virus statistics mobile Internet handset security wireless NetQin
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