Smartphone users ignoring malware threats

Malware is increasingly being written specifically to infect smartphones

Users believe mobile phones are more secure than PCs, according to the latest research by security firm Trend Micro released yesterday.

The Smartphone Consumer Market Research Report interviewed over 1000 respondents and found that around 44 per cent are ignoring the potential dangers of malware and other threats targeted at mobile devices.

Around a third of smartphone users said they feel they are less likely to get infected with an email virus/malware on their smartphone versus their computer.

Yet over 20 per cent said they have encountered a phishing attack, with around half saying they have encountered email spam. Three per cent said they have encountered malware in the past three months, with half of these falling victim to attack.

Bernadette Irinco of Trend Micro’s technical communications team wrote in the firm’s blog that users are more concerned about losing data on their phone like contact numbers because of physical loss than because of web threats, or phishing and spam attacks.

“As mobile phones become more web-based and as users more heavily rely on them to conduct their day-to-day business, potential risks brought about by phishing and other web threats will become more rampant as well,” she added.

“Users are advised to be wary when browsing as this could lead them to malware infection and information loss. They are strongly urged to use security software to stay protected from malware infections.”

Although the research was carried out on a North American audience of consumers, it’s an interesting snapshot into consumer attitudes to mobile phone security.

As Trend argues, the threats are certainly becoming more prevalent in this channel, with Symbian-based malware such as SYMBOS_BESELO.A and SYMBOS_VIVER.A, and WINCE_CRYPTIC.A, which targets Windows mobile phones, all doing the rounds in recent times.