Symantec: Mobile Vulnerabilities Increase by 93% in 2011

Think mobile devices are getting more secure as the technology matures? Think again. A new study shows mobile vulnerabilities increased by 93 percent in 2011. And 2011 was also the first year that mobile malware presented a tangible threat to businesses and consumers. Users with the Android platform are reported to be the most vulnerable to mobile threats.

That’s according to a new report from Symantec, its Annual Internet Security Threat Report, which also showed that while the number of vulnerabilities decreased by 20 percent, the number of malicious attacks continued to skyrocket by 81 percent. Typically, attackers are known to use spam as a way to take advantage of users, however, the times are changing. Beyond spam, attackers are using social networks to attack users. By using social networks, attackers are opened up to an endless string of sharing.

Unfortunately, targeted attacks are growing, which places a burden on organizations of all sizes. The number of daily targeted attacks are increasing from 77 per day to 82 per day by the end of 2011. Which organizations are most targeted? Up until recently the public sector and government have become victims of targeted attacks, however, attacks have diversified in the past year.

Have you had your identity stolen in the past year? Approximately 1.1 million identities were stolen per data breach on average in 2011. Which incident posed the greatest threat? Hacking, exposing 187 million identities in 2011. Theft-or loss-related breaches exposed 18.5 million identities.