The technology evolution in today’s clime has come with explosive benefits and opportunities, but it has also introduced real threats. Computer viruses and malware have always been associated with the use of computers but, at present, they are spreading to mobile phones as well.

A report from Alcatel-Lucent clearly states that security threats to mobile and residential devices as well as attacks on communications networks rose rapidly in 2014, threatening personal and corporate privacy and information. The telecommunications equipment company estimated that 16 million mobile devices worldwide have been infected by malicious software (malware) used by cybercriminals for corporate and personal espionage, information theft, denial of service attacks on businesses and governments, and banking and advertising scams.

The report also reveals a spike in retail cyber-security breaches in 2014 due to malware infections on cash registers and point-of-sale (POS) terminals, thus suggesting a trend where cyber theft is increasingly centering on these media instead of the usual online stores. Shopping online may actually be the safer route as stolen cards from online retailers are not quite valuable to cyber thieves since they can only be used for online purchases.

According to the report, infections increased by 25 percent in 2014, up from the 20 percent increase in 2013. Also, the Android and Windows operating systems now have one thing in common – high malware infection potential – as infection rates between Android phones and Windows devices were split 50-50 in 2014. This is not to say, however, that the iOS and Blackberry operating systems for iPhones and Blackberries are not vulnerable; less than one percent of infections came from these platforms last year but new vulnerabilities, which can be exploited by malware, have also emerged.

It is now absolutely necessary that users of mobile devices begin to take appropriate security precautions as the absence of this has been identified as a driver of these shocking growth rates in malware infection, which has grown to include infection in residential networks. The results from a recent Motive Security Labs survey revealed that 65 percent of mobile subscribers expect their service provider to protect both their mobile and home devices, quite an unrealistic expectation.

Patrick Tan, General Manager of Network Intelligence at Alcatel-Lucent, commented on these trends; “With malware attacks on devices steadily rising with consumer ultra-broadband usage, the impact on customer experience becomes a primary concern for service providers. As a result, we’re seeing more operators take a proactive approach to this problem by providing services that alert subscribers to malware on their devices along with self-help instructions for removing it.”

By Emmanuel Iruobe

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