Report: Malicious Android apps double in six months

NEWS

The number of malicious Android apps mobile security firm Lookout has identified in less than six months has doubled to 1,000, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The vast majority of those dubious apps are found in third-party app stores and alternatives to the official Android Market, the company said.
"2011 has seen the emergence of a credible field of Android malware with a four-percent yearly likelihood of an Android user encountering malware, which was a significant increase compared to the beginning of the year. In the beginning of 2011 we measured a one-percent yearly likelihood," Lookout said in its report, entitled Malwarenomics: 2012 Mobile Malware Predictions.