McAfee Labs Threats Report: June 2014 has found that 79 percent of sampled clones of the Flappy Birds game contained malware.
The report said via these clones, perpetrators were able to make phone calls without user permission, install additional apps, extract contact list data, track geo-location and establish root access for uninhibited control over anything on the device, including the recording, sending, and receiving of SMS messages.
Android/BadInst mobile app abuses app store account authentication and authorization to automatically download, install and launch other apps without user permission
Android/Waller exploits a flaw in a legitimate digital wallet service to commandeer its money-transfer protocol and transfer money to the attacker’s servers
Android/Balloonpopper exploits an encryption method weakness in the popular messaging app WhatsApp, allowing attackers to intercept and share conversations and photos without users’ permission
McAfee Labs’ mobile malware samples grew 167 percent between Q1 2013 and Q1 2014.
New suspect URLs set a three-month record with more than 18 million, a 19 percent increase over Q4 2013 and the fourth straight quarterly increase.
New malicious signed binaries remain a popular form of attack, increasing by 46 percent in the first quarter of 2014.
New threats attacking the master boot record increased by 49 percent in the first quarter, reaching an all-time high for a single quarter.
Ransomware sample counts have dropped for three straight quarters
McAfee Labs saw botnet providers include virtual currency mining capabilities with their services, reflecting the increasing popularity of digital currencies such as Bitcoin.
