How Android Malware Evolved Over Q2 2015

The recently released Quick Heal Quarterly Threat Report for Q2 2015 had some interesting trends and insights into the IT security industry. The report highlights in-depth statistics and analysis of all malware samples that were detected in the months of April, May and June 2015. The platforms that were studied for the purpose of this report were Android and Windows and it is very interesting to see how several malware strains have now become common over both these platforms.

android detected malware count

Threats like ransomware and Adware, which have previously afflicted thousands of Windows PCs worldwide, have now become a common occurrence over Android smartphones and tablets as well. Moreover, Android users are also subjected to several additional security risks such as:

  • Device loss or theft
  • Fake apps on trusted sources like Google Play
  • Snooping over free and insecure Wi-Fi access points
  • Hacking into sensitive data stored in the cloud

Key findings of the Quick Heal Threat Report Q2, 2015 for Android

  • The Quick Heal Threat Research Labs received 500,000 Android malware samples per month in this time period. This represented a growth of 16% over Q1, 2015.
  • Out of these detected samples, 170 new Android malware families and 232 new variants of existing malware families were detected.
  • Android Adware continues to dominate the malware charts with a 67% stake in the detected samples count, highlighting how malicious and intrusive ads are primary propagation methods.
  • The most prominent Android sample from Q2 was Android.Airpush.G which is a type of Android Adware. This sample constituted a whopping 49% of all detected samples.
  • Analysis of several pre-installed apps on new devices has also led the Quick Heal Threat Research Labs to conclude that many devices are equipped with spyware straight from the factory.

Future trends for Android over the coming months

BYOD policies to be targeted in the next quarter

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies have now allowed enterprises to manage the ever increasing usage of employee smartphones and tablets. Malware authors are also now well aware of this trend and are doing all they can to leverage the inherent weakness of this policy. By intercepting insecure personal devices, malware authors are stealing corporate data and intellectual property. Such types of trends are expected in the upcoming quarters.

More mobile devices with pre-installed spyware

The Quick Heal Threat Research Labs have analyzed several pre-installed apps on new devices and have found that these devices were equipped with spyware apps from the factory itself. This raises concerns about the in-built and pre-installed apps that come loaded on new devices in the market. We expect more such cases to come to the forefront in the near future.

Continued dominance of Adware on Android devices

Adware has been a leading source of malware and security concerns on Android devices over the last few years and this is a pattern that is expected to continue in 2015 as well. Adware variants are not going anywhere and they are expected to evolve further and persistently play a leading role in detected Android malware samples. In the second quarter of 2015, we discovered 17 new variants of Adware families and this indicates the upward trajectory of this malware family.

The Quick Heal Quarterly Threat Report Q2 2015 highlights the rising threats of malware over the immensely popular Android computing platform. With such large numbers of malware samples involved, the need for security awareness and effective security measures is now higher than ever. Additionally, the evolving nature of malware and the various devices that they can propagate on should also make Android users wary about every single tap that they make on their smartphone.

Rahul Thadani

Rahul Thadani

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46 Comments

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  1. Avatar Hasta • July 15, 2015 at 2:25 PM

    please my antiviruses can’t upload..

    Reply
    • Rajiv Singha Rajiv Singha • July 15, 2015 at 2:29 PM

      Hi Hasta,

      Thank you for writing in. Our Support Team can help you solve this issue:
      1. You can submit your query at https://bit.ly/Askus. The Team will get back to you with a solution.
      2. You can also contact them at 0-927-22-33-000.
      3. Alternatively, you can chat with our engineers by visiting this link > https://bit.ly/QHSupport > Chat with Us

      Regards,

      Reply
  2. Avatar Manjoom • July 15, 2015 at 2:53 PM

    sir my antiviruses can’t update

    Reply
  3. Avatar sourav sarkar • July 15, 2015 at 4:17 PM

    nice

    Reply
  4. Avatar Tirtha • July 15, 2015 at 7:21 PM

    Will Quick Heal Total Security detect any TCP poisoning attack or DNS poisoning attack?

    Reply
  5. Avatar chetram mehrda • July 15, 2015 at 9:22 PM

    thanx
    quick heal…………

    Reply
  6. Avatar piyali • July 15, 2015 at 9:40 PM

    quick heal is the best anti virus in the world

    Reply
  7. Avatar Suneeti • July 15, 2015 at 11:05 PM

    Hi,

    My android redirects to diffesrent sites and sometimes playstore get open by its own. And most of the time it redirects to pornsites.
    What to do ?

    Reply
    • Rahul Thadani Rahul Thadani • July 20, 2015 at 10:17 AM

      Hi Suneeti,

      Please format your phone if possible. Keep a copy of your data and pictures before you do this.

      Regards.

      Reply
  8. Avatar Krishna Timalshina • July 16, 2015 at 5:00 AM

    My some old copied file & folders on flash drive or any are corrupted.How can i recover it easily.I’m user of quick heal total security since 3 years.

    Thank you

    Reply
  9. Avatar UMESH WAGHELA • July 16, 2015 at 9:35 AM

    I was purchased 3 year’s anti virus but its every time Quick heal symbol is read, also its every hours Quick heal want restart our laptop, I don’t know why …..?

    Reply
    • Rajiv Singha Rajiv Singha • July 16, 2015 at 3:59 PM

      Hi Umesh,

      Thank you for writing in. Our Support Team can help you solve this issue:
      1. You can submit your query at https://bit.ly/Askus. The Team will get back to you with a solution.
      2. You can also contact them at 0-927-22-33-000.
      3. Alternatively, you can chat with our engineers by visiting this link > https://bit.ly/QHSupport > Chat with Us

      Regards,

      Reply
  10. Avatar Rajeshvar • July 16, 2015 at 9:50 AM

    i can’t scan my android(E7) phone way please tell me…

    Reply
    • Rajiv Singha Rajiv Singha • July 16, 2015 at 3:59 PM

      Hi Rajeshwar,

      Thank you for writing in. Our Support Team can help you solve this issue:
      1. You can submit your query at https://bit.ly/Askus. The Team will get back to you with a solution.
      2. You can also contact them at 0-927-22-33-000.
      3. Alternatively, you can chat with our engineers by visiting this link > https://bit.ly/QHSupport > Chat with Us

      Regards,

      Reply
  11. Avatar Rajesh Nichani • July 16, 2015 at 1:03 PM

    Hi,
    I wish to know if Quick Heal is effective in scanning for viruses in Android devices.
    I have scanned my Android several times thru MY PC Quick Heal Anti Virus and all the time it says no virus found but my device has started behaving irrationally. Please advice me on the same at the very earliest.

    Many Regards

    Reply
  12. Avatar Tirthankar • July 16, 2015 at 1:14 PM

    Can it scan SSL to detect any SSL security loop holes and protect our online transactions?

    Reply
    • Rahul Thadani Rahul Thadani • July 20, 2015 at 10:18 AM

      Hi Tirthankar,

      Yes, Quick Heal does provide protection against all these threats that you have mentioned.

      Regards.

      Reply
  13. Avatar Dharmesh • July 16, 2015 at 1:20 PM

    Hi Rahul,

    Thanks for posting the analysis. IMHO one should not install every free app just to give it a try. Isn’t it?

    Please let me know if installing quickheal on android mobile will prevent data theft & other potential risks. FYI I am a long time quickheal internet security user.

    Thanks,

    Dharmesh

    Reply
  14. Avatar AHSWJ • July 16, 2015 at 1:25 PM

    My mobile also become victim yestarday

    Reply
  15. Avatar Salman Khan • July 16, 2015 at 2:40 PM

    This is a gd antivirus

    Reply
  16. Avatar sanjeev • July 16, 2015 at 3:00 PM

    quick heal antivirus is very best

    Reply
  17. Avatar nilesh kumar • July 17, 2015 at 8:41 AM

    quick heal very very good antivirus

    Reply
  18. Avatar Ramanand Singh • July 17, 2015 at 10:16 AM

    I have two user 3 years total security. But unfortunately one of the serial key I have lost pl. provide the same to update regularly.

    Reply
  19. Avatar rajiv • July 17, 2015 at 11:01 AM

    plz help me, sometime my browser pop up 100 website and its url is http://www.fileratings.com.
    when it happen like this i have to shut down my system as there is no other way.

    Reply
  20. Avatar Mahesh Kumar Soni • July 17, 2015 at 12:29 PM

    You talked about ‘More mobile devices with pre-installed spyware’. I think you should give details of such companies and the nature of pre-installed spyware so that the readers are aware of such instruments.

    Reply
  21. Avatar Gaurav • July 17, 2015 at 2:17 PM

    But old version all received 2014 but not 2015 I have quick heal total security please solve

    Reply
  22. Avatar GM • July 17, 2015 at 2:49 PM

    Dear Sir,in my Andriod Phone, whenever I open a new webpage in Internet explorer , it gives various type of error , sometimes says your phone is out of date , update it by link below and some times to totalad webpage automatically .Also in my laptop , whenever I am opening a page in Google chrome/IE , it is automatically opening some vidolog page.In both these gazettes , I am using Quick heal and on total scan on both Laptop & Android mobile this problem is not getting solved , pls help.

    Reply
  23. Avatar jayesh • July 20, 2015 at 5:47 AM

    hi….
    my pc shows “NOT RESPONDING” whenever used offline or online.
    even when i give my pendrive to my friend it shows virus found but not my pc

    Reply
  24. Avatar jayesh • July 20, 2015 at 5:54 AM

    thnx quick heal 🙂

    Reply
  25. Avatar M.R.Kishoredutt • July 20, 2015 at 9:50 PM

    Hi Sir,

    Can i install quick heal on my mbl which Redimi 1S, will it protect from various virus.

    Regards
    Kishoredutt

    Reply
  26. Avatar sebabrata chatterjee • July 21, 2015 at 9:10 AM

    sir,
    my quick heal pro is not updated,

    Reply
    • Rajiv Singha Rajiv Singha • July 22, 2015 at 11:10 AM

      Hi Sebabrata,

      Our Support Team can help you solve this issue:
      1. You can submit your query at https://bit.ly/Askus. The Team will get back to you with a solution.
      2. You can also contact them at 0-927-22-33-000.
      3. Alternatively, you can chat with our engineers by visiting this link >> https://bit.ly/QHSupport >> Chat with Us

      Regards,

      Reply

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