Cyber criminals target mobile devices over PCs

Malware writers and cyber criminals have begun attack campaigns that are focused entirely on compromising mobile devices, say researchers.

Security firm F-Secure spotted a malware operation that forgoes any sort of desktop PC attacks and instead focuses on targeting mobile devices. The attack servers appear to redirect all traffic from desktop systems but when a mobile device is detected the site seeks to infect users.

According to the researchers, the server will redirect mobile users through a series of sites to destinations ranging from game download pages to adult content sites and a page that attempts to infect Android users with malware.

While the malware itself can be detected and blocked with mobile security products, researchers said that the operation is noteworthy in that it suggests a change in focus for malware writers who had previously focused exclusively on the PC space.

Once a small portion of the overall malware space, researchers now believe that mobile attacks are being seen by cyber criminals as an attractive and profitable target worthy of dedicated attack servers. While many of the early malware samples were simplistic tools that sent calls and SMS messages to premium services, malware writers have been building increasingly complex attacks.

Researchers have noted that in addition to a growing footprint, the unique habits of mobile users can make the devices an attractive target for malware. With users more likely to run 'jailbreak' procedures and download software from untrusted third-party services, malware writers have been able to infect smartphone and tablet devices with relative ease.