MCLEAN, Virginia and
SAN FRANCISCO, February 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Android malware and Web threats targeting mobile users have
exponentially increased during the fourth quarter of 2012,
according to the February 2013
Internet Threats Trend Report issued by Commtouch®
(NASDAQ: CTCH), a leading provider of Internet security technology
and cloud-based services.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120501/529254 )
The report shows that Android malware levels increased more than
five-fold between September and December
2012. In December, Commtouch's lab collected more than
214,000 samples of Android malware, compared to approximately
41,000 in September. In July, the number was still as low as 14,000
samples. Additionally, Commtouch researchers also observed a
significant increase in email-borne malware during the fourth
quarter of 2012.
India remained the number one
hotspot for spam-sending zombies in the fourth quarter. With a
share of 17.5 percent, India fell
below the 20 percent mark but remained ahead of China (9.5 percent) and Vietnam (8.0 percent). Asia remained the dominating region in this
list with Pakistan (fifth place),
Iran (sixth) and Kazakhstan (tenth) also being among the top
ten. The United States came in
eighth place with a share of 2.7 percent.
In Web security, education-related sites topped the list of
sites most frequently compromised with malware or hiding phishing
and spam sites. For example, during the fourth quarter,
Harvard University's Department of
Government Web site was hacked and used to host a pharmacy page.
Other Web site categories particularly vulnerable to being
manipulated were travel, sports, business and entertainment
sites.
Spam levels remained fairly constant with the expected drop
around the Christmas and New Year period. The average daily spam
level was 90 billion messages per day - a slight increase over the
third quarter of 2012. The lowest level was 52 billion recorded on
the last day of 2012 and the highest was an unusual spike of 134
billion at the start of December. Spam averaged between 71 and 80
percent of all emails sent globally during the fourth quarter of
2012.
"Android is by far the most popular mobile operating system in
the world today, with a market share of more than 75 percent in the
third quarter, according to industry analysts," said Avi Turiel, director of threat research and
market analysis at Commtouch. "Its popularity makes it a natural
target for cybercriminals of all kinds. The alarming growth rate
also demonstrates that the Android platform is still regarded as an
easy target. Effective protective measures are urgently needed.
With its Mobile Security for Android, Commtouch offers a solution
that combines antivirus and Web Security and can be integrated into
offerings from carriers, MDM providers, device manufacturers and
application developers."
Commtouch's Internet Threat Analysis Team regularly publishes
related statistics within its report. The quarterly report is
compiled based on a comprehensive analysis of billions of daily
transactions handled by Commtouch's GlobalView™ Cloud.
To view the Commtouch Q4 Internet Threats Trend Report, visit:
http://www.commtouch.com/threat-report-feb-2013/
About Commtouch
Commtouch® (NASDAQ: CTCH) is a leading provider of
Internet security technology and cloud-based services for vendors
and service providers, increasing the value and profitability of
our customer's solutions by protecting billions of Internet
transactions on a daily basis. With six global data centers and
award-winning, patented technology, Commtouch's email, web, and
antivirus capabilities easily integrate into our customers'
products and solutions, keeping safe over 350 million end users. To
learn more, visit http://www.commtouch.com.
- Blog: http://blog.commtouch.com/cafe
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- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/commtouch
- Twitter: @Commtouch
Recurrent Pattern Detection, RPD,
Zero-Hour and GlobalView are trademarks, and Commtouch is a
registered trademark of Commtouch. U.S. Patent No. 6,330,590 is
owned by Commtouch. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Company Contact:
Brian Briggs, Chief Financial
Officer
Commtouch
+1-703-760-3444
brian.briggs@commtouch.com
U.S. Investor Contact:
Christopher Chu
Grayling
+1-646-284-9400
commtouch@grayling.com
Israel Investor Relations Contact:
Iris Lubitch
EffectiveIR
+972-3-5664007
Iris@EffectiveIR.co.il
Commtouch Media Contact:
Matthew Zintel
Zintel Public Relations
+1-281-444-1590
matthew.zintel@zintelpr.com
SOURCE Commtouch