Third Quarter Threats Report Identifies Android Malware That Bypasses App Validation as Signed PC Malware Continues to Surge; Bitcoin Popular in Illicit Trade and Cybercrime
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Nov. 20, 2013 – McAfee Labs today released the McAfee Labs Threats Report:Third Quarter 2013, which found new efforts to circumvent digital signature app validation on Android-based devices. The McAfee Labs team identified a new family of mobile malware that allows an attacker to bypass the digital signature validation of apps on Android devices, which contributed to a 30 percent increase in Android-based malware. At the same time, traditional malware signed with digital signatures grew by 50 percent to more than 1.5 million samples. Less surprising but no less daunting was a 125 percent increase in spam.
“The efforts to bypass code validation on mobile devices, and commandeer it altogether on PCs, both represent attempts to circumvent trust mechanisms upon which our digital ecosystems rely,” said Vincent Weafer, senior
vice president of McAfee Labs. “The industry must work harder to ensure the integrity of this digital trust infrastructure given these technologies are becoming even more pervasive in every aspect of our daily lives.”
