Article by George Norman

On 13 May 2011

Here’s a nice little bundle of three news that have one thing in common: statistics. Leading the pack is the news that in the good old US of A, the first thing 35% of Android and iPhone owners do after waking up and before getting out of bed is use a mobile app. Telecommunications equipment vendor Ericsson conducted a study and found that users are increasingly connecting to the internet via their smartphones before they even get out of bed.

"Our research found apps are appealing to people at an emotional level. Consumers become attached to a certain set of apps that makes them feel more in control of their lives, and turns everyday chores into positive experiences. Apps even give consumers a new sense of freedom; if a new situation arises, there’s probably an app out there that could help them," said Michael Björn, Head of Research at Ericsson ConsumerLab.


The second news is that the number of malware attacks targeting Android-powered devices has gone up 400%. The Juniper Networks Global Threat Center in a study entitled “The Malicious Mobile Threats Report 2010/2011” says that the number of attacks against Android-powered devices has increased by 400% since the summer of 2010. Here are the other key findings of the report:

- 20% of teens sent inappropriate or explicit material from a mobile device.
- 1 in 20 devices were lost or stolen and had to be remotely locked or wiped.
- SMS Trojans were behind 17% of all reported infections.
- The majority of users do not have a mobile antivirus even though the single greatest distribution point for mobile malware is application download.
- Mobile devices are increasingly susceptible to Wi-Fi attack.

Chief Mobile Security Evangelist at Juniper Networks, Dan Hoffman, commented: "These findings reflect a perfect storm of users who are either uneducated on or disinterested in security, downloading readily available applications from unknown and unvetted sources in the complete absence of mobile device security solutions. App store processes of reactively removing applications identified as malicious after they have been installed by thousands of users is insufficient as ameans to control malware proliferation. There are specifics steps users must take to mitigate mobile attacks. Both enterprises and consumers alike need to be aware of the growing risks associated with the convenience of having the Internet in the palm of your hand."

The third and final news in this article is that software piracy has gone up 14%. According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and its 2010 BSA Global Software Piracy Study, software piracy in 2010 increased by 14% compared to 2009, reaching a record high of $59 billion.

"The software industry is being robbed blind. Nearly $59 billion worth of products were stolen last year--and the rates of theft are completely out of control in the world's fastest-growing markets," said in a statement BSA CEO Robert Holleyman.



Tags: Apple, Google, iOS, Android, Ericsson, Security, Piracy

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