Mobile Malware
Mobile devices have changed the way we live, work and play yet the tricks that have been used by cyber criminals to install malware on our computers are now beginning to threaten our smart phones and other mobile devices. Malware is any type of hostile, intrusive, annoying software or program code that is designed to use a device without the owner’s consent. They can be grouped into several categories ranging from viruses, worms, Trojans, rootkits and botnets. Throughout this paper I will discuss the different types of malware more in detail, divulge the operating system that may be more vulnerable to malware, describe the stages of malware attacks and explain the practices to avoid malware on your mobile device.
Due to a significant increase in the number of mobile devices in use, malware threats on mobile devices are becoming a serious issue. These are various types of socially engineered attacks that simply trick the consumer into accepting what the cybercriminal is selling. As mentioned earlier, there are several forms of mobile malware that can be delivered to mobile device. The most common mobile threat is spam. Spam are poisoned links on the social networking sites and rogue applications usually delivered through unsolicited emails. A virus is a piece of code that has replicated itself and therefore, infect other programs. Whereas a worm is a program that makes copies of itself, typically from one device to another using different transport mechanisms without any user intervention. This attachment can damage and compromise the security of the device or consume the network bandwidth. Rootkits achieve their malicious goals by infecting the operating system. They usually hide nasty process files or install Trojans to disable firewalls and antivirus. Hence, rootkits have the ability of staying longer on the device since they have control of the operating system. Lastly, the botnet provide hackers with permission over the compromised mobile
Due to a significant increase in the number of mobile devices in use, malware threats on mobile devices are becoming a serious issue. These are various types of socially engineered attacks that simply trick the consumer into accepting what the cybercriminal is selling. As mentioned earlier, there are several forms of mobile malware that can be delivered to mobile device. The most common mobile threat is spam. Spam are poisoned links on the social networking sites and rogue applications usually delivered through unsolicited emails. A virus is a piece of code that has replicated itself and therefore, infect other programs. Whereas a worm is a program that makes copies of itself, typically from one device to another using different transport mechanisms without any user intervention. This attachment can damage and compromise the security of the device or consume the network bandwidth. Rootkits achieve their malicious goals by infecting the operating system. They usually hide nasty process files or install Trojans to disable firewalls and antivirus. Hence, rootkits have the ability of staying longer on the device since they have control of the operating system. Lastly, the botnet provide hackers with permission over the compromised mobile
References: La Polla, M., Martinelli, F., & Sgandurra, D. (2013a). A Survey on Security for Mobile Devices. IEEE Communications Surveys Tutorials, 15(1), 446–471. doi:10.1109/SURV.2012.013012.00028 La Polla, M., Martinelli, F., & Sgandurra, D. (2013b). A Survey on Security for Mobile Devices. IEEE Communications Surveys Tutorials, 15(1), 446–471. doi:10.1109/SURV.2012.013012.00028 Protect your Android device from malware. (n.d.). Retrieved September 21, 2014, from http://www.cnet.com/how-to/protect-your-android-device-from-malware/