Malware for Mobiles Coming, Say Researchers

Malware exploits are being created and will target smartphones in the near future, computer analysts said at a meeting of the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group this week.

Malware for mobile phones will arrive in the near future, computer analysts said. Kim Jae-Hwan/AFP/Getty Images

Malware exploits are being created and will target smartphones in the near future, computer analysts said at a meeting of the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group this week.

Mobile malware detections have been on the rise since last year and an outbreak “might actually, finally, [happen this] year,” Tim Armstrong, analyst with cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, said.

Malware, or malicious software, attempts to access a technological device—in this case, smartphones—without the user’s consent, to activate viruses, spyware, or other detrimental programs.

Although mobile malware attempts have been unsuccessful thus far, analysts say that future malware might be more complex and harder to fix.

“It’s only a matter of time before we see some really huge malware infections,” Armstrong said.