Reports of trojans, spyware and other malicious programs are up 472% since July
Several warnings have been issued over the past year about the growing problem of malware on Google (GOOG) Android smartphones (see here, here and here), but none as dire or as sharply worded as the report issued Wednesday by Juniper Network’s Global Threat Center.
Not only did Juniper’s annual threat report see a 400% increase in Android malware between 2009 and the summer of 2010, but in the four months since, malware sitings have grown another 472%.
The contrast with Apple’s (AAPL) App Store, where apps are reviewed and tested before release, is striking.
“These days,” according to Juniper, “it seems all you need is a developer account, that is relatively easy to anonymize, pay $25 and you can post your applications. With no upfront review process, no one checking to see that your application does what it says, just the world’s largest majority of smartphone users skimming past your application’s description page with whatever description of the application the developer chooses to include.”