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Nokia, the Finish telecoms firm, released the Nokia Threat Intelligence Report – H1 2016 today, showing a sharp rise in the occurrence of smartphone malware infections in the first half of this year.

According to the report, smartphone infections nearly doubled between January and July this year compared to the second half of 2015, with smartphones accounting for 78 percent of all mobile network infections.

"Today attackers are targeting a broader range of applications and platforms, including popular mobile games and new IoT [Internet of Things] devices, and developing more sophisticated and destructive forms of malware,” said Kevin McNamee, Head of the Nokia Threat Intelligence Lab. “Nokia's network-based security solution is the best approach to address this growing threat to all types of devices. It detects and prevents malware activity that device-based solutions may miss."

Key findings of the latest Nokia Threat Intelligence Report include:

1.    A 96% surge in smartphone infections in the first half of 2016 compared to second half of 2015.
2.    Mobile infections hit an all-time high in April 2016, with 1.06 percent of devices infected by a range of malware, including ransomware, spyphone applications, SMS Trojans, personal information theft and aggressive adware.
3.    Android smartphones were the most targeted mobile platform, accounting for 74 percent of all malware infections compared to Window/PC systems (22 percent), and other platforms, including iOS devices (4 percent).
4.    Downloaded mobile applications are a key conduit for malware attacks. The Nokia Threat Intelligence Lab detected infected copies of an extremely popular mobile game within hours after they were posted on untrusted third-party download sites.
5.    Malware is becoming increasingly more sophisticated, as new variations attempt to root the phone in order to provide complete control and establish a permanent presence on the device.
6.    The top three mobile malware threats were Uapush.A, Kasandra.B and SMSTracker, together accounting for 47 percent of all infections.
7.    The overall monthly infection rate in residential fixed broadband networks reached an average of 12 percent in the first half of 2016, compared to 11 percent in late 2015, due mainly to an increase in moderate threat level adware. These infections are mostly due to malware on Windows PCs and laptops in the home, but also include infections on smartphones using home WiFi.

Issued twice per year, the Nokia Threat Intelligence Report examines general trends and statistics for malware infections in devices connected through mobile and fixed networks.

The report is compiled from data aggregated from deployments of the Nokia NetGuard Endpoint Security solution around the globe, covering more than 100 million devices, including mobile phones, laptops, notepads, and Internet of Things devices.