Mobile malware continued to grow in the third quarter, with Android-targeted malware being a significant part of the problem, according to a new report from McAfee Labs.

Mobile malware growth in 2011 is on target to exceed last year?s and become the busiest year ever for mobile malware, according to the McAfee Threats Report: Third Quarter 2011. The amount of malware targeted at Android devices jumped nearly 37 percent from the previous quarter, with nearly all new mobile malware in the third quarter targeted at Android.

?This quarter Android became the exclusive platform for all new mobile malware,? said the McAfee report. ?The Symbian OS - for Nokia handsets - remains the platform with the all-time greatest number of malware, but Android is clearly today?s target.?

A busy year
The malware numbers from the third quarter also put 2011 on track to be the busiest in mobile malware history.

At the end of 2010, McAfee Labs, Santa Clara, CA, predicted that malware would reach the 70 million unique samples by the end of 2011. Because of the rapid proliferation of malware this year, McAfee Labs has increased this prediction to 75 million unique malware samples reached by year?s end, the busiest in malware history.

Malware authors are capitalizing on the popularity of Android devices and writing malware specifically for the operating system. One of the most popular forms of malware in the third quarter was SMS-sending Trojans that collect personal information and steal money.

This type of malware signs up victims for subscription services and deletes all subscription confirmation messages received so that the victim remain unaware of the activity and the attacker makes more money.

New versions of this type of malware for Android, include Android/Wapaxy, Android/Love Trp and Android/Hippos SMS.

Android malware is also responsible for a new method of stealing information from users by recording their phone calls. Android/NickiSpy.A and Android/GoldenEagle.A both record user conversations and forward them to the attacker. These malware can remain on the devices for extended periods without being detected.

Another technique for stealing information is to gain access to system databases to access all of the phone?s data and operations. Such root exploits, as this type of malware is called, includes the Android/DroidDeluxe and Android.ApkMon, which try to read system files such as SMS database, emails and contacts.

As consumers continue to embrace smart devices for data-centric services such as email, they need to realize that these services come at a price. The results from McAfee suggest that mobile security software is becoming as important for mobile devices as it is for desktop computers.

The third quarter is also when the first malicious QR code campaigns began appearing in response to the growing popularity of the 2D bar codes, according to Kaspersky Labs (see story).

Malicious apps for Android were also a problem in the third quarter. For example, the Android/PJApp sends SMS messages and also collects data from the phone.

?Maliciously modified apps made up a good portion of mobile malware this quarter,? the McAfee report said. ?This type of theft has been a continuing trend for malware written for any platform: Steal as much data as possible once the device has been compromised.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York