It's been ten years since they first detected the malware that was designed to target portable devices. Threats to mobile have come a long way since the first SymbOS.Cabir worm that began to spread through Bluetooth to the last Backdoor.AndroidOS.Torec.a , the first malware for Android to use the Tor network to protect its communications.
SymbOS.Cabir is considered the first malware for mobile phones. It targeted devices with Symbian, the operating system that was popular with 2004. Some versions of Cabir were designed to steal data from target devices, while others simply infected the files.
That same year, it was spotted Trojan.Mos. It was packed in a cracked version of the popular game Mosquito, The Trojan.Mos was designed to send text messages to premium numbers, and is the first mobile malware to help criminals earn money.
2004 was also the year that released a very destructive malware. The SymbOS.Skulls replaced all icons with skulls making them applications of the mobile useless.
The Symbian malware but that really dominated until 2006 when the first one BlackBerry Trojan, the Trojan.Redbrowser. It was actually the first J2ME Trojan that could infect different mobiles platforms. It was designed to send text messages to premium numbers.
Another malicious software for BlackBerry that resulted in 2006 was Spyware.FlyxiSpy, and was advertised as a spy application…
The SymbOS.ZeusMitmo was the first malware which aimed to steal the verification SMS sent by the banks to the customers, while carrying out online transactions. Actually, the ZeusMitmo, which appeared in 2010, was the first mobile malware to target online banking.
2011, criminals began to target the Android platform. Today most malware is designed to target Google's operating system.
"Over the last two years, we have seen significant growth from Trojans and adware in targeting mobile devices, focusing mainly on Android phones. Even targeted attacks are now making use of them malware for mobile ”says Candid Wueest Symantec.
“Given this explosion, mobile malware has become a real threat that needs more attention because it is constantly evolving. In fact, we're likely to see the next one development of mobile threats soon, especially now that mobile phones are becoming identification tokens and payment solutions.”
Android malware continues to evolve. Earlier this week, researchers from Kaspersky uncovered the existence of Backdoor.AndroidOS.Torec.a. It is the first Android malware to use Tor to communicate with C&C.
Both Symantec As well as the Kaspersky have published reports on the evolution of malware for mobile.
See Symantec's infographic
