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Are Search Marketers In Denial About Mobile Malware?

Android-On-Iphone

Consumers are 2.5 times more likely to encounter malware today than six months ago. Three in ten will click on a malicious link this year. And between 500,000 and 1 million mobile users were affected by malware in the first half of 2011. That's according to a study released Wednesday by Lookout Mobile Security.

During the first half of 2011, the number of unique Android apps infected with malware grew from 80 in January to 400 in June 2011, according to Lookout's first Mobile Threat report providing data about malware incidents to smartphone users. The report also explains mobile threats from applications based on malvertising, spyware, privacy, and other vulnerabilities.

Although there is no hard evidence yet of malware affecting tablets and ereaders, marketers can expect the same issues will arise for any Internet-connected device.

Malware threats should become top of mind for marketers that are considering or running any type of mobile search or display ad campaigns, especially as mobile apps turn devices into general-purpose computing tools. The threats have become more sophisticated and are increasingly likely to infect content on phones. One bad incident can damage a brand's reputation, forcing marketers to design a search engine marketing (SEO) campaign to combat the bad press.

The proliferation of devices running on a popular open-source operating system (OS) such as Android adds to the problem. Google's Android Market now contains more than 200,000 apps. In March, about 50 applications in the Android Market were found to contain a malicious program called DroidDream that is capable of stealing information about a mobile device and downloading other malicious applications to the phone. Apple iPhones are less susceptible to malware, partly because they operate on a closed OS. In just three years since introducing the iPhone SDK in 2008, Apple boasts more than 425,000 apps available for iOS devices.

Attackers use malvertising or "malicious advertising" to lure consumers into downloading malware. Developers use in-app advertisements to get more people to download apps. A malvertising malware writer buys mobile ads, directing users to download malware on the Android Market or from a fake site designed to imitate the Android Market.

Malware is not specific to search on mobile. In July, Google discovered a new strain of malware on the search engine during routine maintenance.

 

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