According to data from security company Kaspersky Labs, there were almost 100,000 pieces of malicious code attempting to steal data from mobile phones and tablets in 2013, up from 40,059 during 2012. And the same source unveils that hackers have become “obsessed” with stealing money from banking apps.
Results show that most of the attacks (98%) were targeted at Android devices. At the beginning of the year there were just 64 known banking Trojans aimed at the operating system, but by the end of 2013 Kaspersky had collected 1,321 unique samples.
The report on mobile malware mentions that hacking banking apps is now a ‘cyber industry’ which is becoming more focused on making profits more effectively. This can involve phishing for personal data, stealing credit card information or making direct transfers of money via banking apps from user’s accounts to the hacker’s.
Research also reveals that the amount of mobile malware designed for phishing, the theft of bank card information and money from bank accounts increased by a factor of almost 20.
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