BitDefender Points Finger at Social Networking as Biggest Mobile Malware Threat

Posted 01/11/2011 at 8:47am | by Paul Lilly

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According to security firm BitDefender, malware aimed at social networks like Facebook pose the biggest threat for mobile platforms and is as widely spread as malware that targets PCs.

"When data security researchers focus on finding malware specifically designed for mobile platforms, they lose sight of an important mobile platform threat source -- the social network," said George Petre, BitDefender Threat Intelligence Team Leader. "Statistics indicate that malware targeting social networks may be the biggest current threat for mobile devices, and BitDefender can help users stay safe against these types of threats."

Sure it's a self-serving study, but there's still a lesson here. Citing goo.gl statistics, BitDefender points out that one of the URLs used for a recent massive Facebook scam duped a large number of users. One of the URLs making the rounds promised to show users a girl's Facebook status that supposedly got her expelled from school. The simple scam generated 28,672 clicks, and nearly a quarter of those came from mobile platforms.

"Users who clicked on the link -- whether on PC or mobile device -- downloaded a Facebook worm and fell victim to an adword-based money grabbing scheme," BitDefender says.