Author: Dan Gendro

The latest information released by Trend Micro shows that the landscape is changing due to malware.

The Threat Security Roundup from Trend Micro has just been released and it has suggested that issues regarding mobile security threats are starting to change the trends in the overall protection and digital landscape.

Cyber criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the way that they target smartphones and tablets.

Though the use of malware as a mobile security threat is nothing new, and it has been increasing for some time now, criminals are making much more complex and sophisticated attacks, says Trend Micro. According to the Trend Micro SA country manager, Gregory Anderson, “Our most recent threat report shows that cyber criminals have absolutely no regard for the privacy of Google Android smartphone and tablet users.”

Anderson pointed out that malicious apps over Android are creating a higher risk mobile security environment.

In fact, he stated that there has been an increase in high risk, malicious apps on that operating system by nearly 30 percent over the last quarter. Anderson explained that “Our Trend analysts tracked 718 000 separate instances of high-risk Android apps in the second quarter, up from 509 000 high-risk apps found in the first three months of this year. Based on these figures, we estimate that the number of high-risk Android applications available on the market will exceed a million by the end of 2013.”

The Android malware that has the greatest sophistication so far, has been nicknamed “obad” malware. It was discovered by Kaspersky Lab, which was also responsible for coming up with that nickname. It was that firm that identified the “master key” vulnerabilities that provide criminals with a way to quickly and easily take advantage of Android system weaknesses.

This problem has been a primary contributor to the skyrocketing increase in mobile security threats, particularly in smartphones and tablets that are Android based. At the very top of the list, according to Trend Micro’s report, is United Arab Emirates, in terms of the highest download volume of malicious apps. This was followed by Myanmar, Vietnam, and Mexico, in that order.

Mobile payments could expand due to new partnership

Lotaris, a leading licensing firm catering to mobile application developers, has partnered with PayPal to make mobile payments somewhat easier in terms of software. Together, the two companies will work to expand the reach of mobile commerce into new markets. Lotaris will expand the mobile commerce services it offers through its in-appCommerce platform to more than 80 countries. Currently, the platform is only available for Windows Phone users, but Lotaris plans to support Android and HTML5 platforms in the near future.

Lotaris platform expands into new markets

Mobile payments are beginning to attract a great deal of attention around the world. As such, the demand for comprehensive mobile commerce services is on the rise. Companies like Lotaris are beginning to feel the pressure to adapt to the changing interests of consumers and have begun offering application developers more support in this sector. PayPal already has a strong presence in the mobile commerce field and is expected to provide a significant level of support to Lotaris in its efforts to engage developers and consumers alike.

Developers could find success through Lotaris platform

Using the in-appCommerce platform, developers are able to monetize their products through multiple channels using a single code base. The platform is designed to be as convenient for developers as possible. Through the platform, developers are able to find exposure for their mobile commerce applications. Thanks to the new partnership between Lotaris and PayPal, this exposure may increase exponentially in the near future.

Security concerns keep consumers leery of mobile payments

While mobile payments are gaining popularity, there are still many people that are wary of the concept of making payments from their mobile devices. This is due to the fact that financial information is very attractive to hackers. Mobile commerce has become one of the most lucrative fields for malicious parties looking to exploit this information and this has discouraged many people from participating in mobile payments.