Mobile ransomware was the most popular form of mobile malware in 2015 as the mobile threat landscape became more active, according to a study from Blue Coat Systems.
During the year the world of mobile ransomware grew dramatically, with advanced cryptographic malware such as SimpleLocker being adapted for mobile devices.
After ransomware, the second most popular form of mobile malware was adware and other potentially unwanted software. There was a large increase in the volume of such software during 2015, in line with the growth in the traditional malware space.
Apps which leak private information from users, often without their knowledge, are the third most common malware type in the mobile market.
The report also shows that pornography has resurfaced as the top mobile malware attack vector, accounting for 36% of referrals to malicious sites. Web ads such as malvertising attacks and sites that host Trojan horse apps by contrast dropped from almost 20% in 2014 to less than 5% in 2015.
“As we sleep, exercise, work and shop with our mobile devices, cyber criminals are waiting to take advantage of the data these devices collect, as evidenced by the types of malware and attacks we’re seeing,” Blue Coat CTO Hugh Thompson said.
“The implications of this nefarious activity certainly carry over to corporate IT as organizations rapidly adopt cloud-based, mobile versions of enterprise applications, opening up another avenue for attackers.”