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One in 200 enterprise handsets is infected

iOS bad, but not Android bad

If your enterprise has 200 mobile devices at least one is infected, so says security firm Skycure

The Palto Alto firm has uncovered previous nasty Apple bugs, including the No iOS Zone flaw reported by El Reg last year.

All told about three percent of the locked-down vanilla Cupertino devices are infected, the company says in its latest quarterly threat report [PDF].

They extend their examination of millions of managed and unmanaged devices this year to suggest about four percent of all devices are infected with something.

Chief technology officer Yair Amit says while Android devices are twice as likely to be owned than iOS, Apple gear is no immunity from malware.

"Malware absolutely exists on enterprise mobile devices and standardising on iOS doesn’t make you safe," Amit says.

“Unlike the nuisance malware of the past that targeted only consumers, today’s malware is smarter, and often more focused on businesses.

Smartphones make excellent reconnaissance tools because they are able to track a user’s conversations and movements twenty-four seven."

Researchers found enterprises have three unique infection instances with devices sporting an eye-watering average of 290 apps a piece.

Enterprises are however five times more likely to have their networks hosed than phones popped. Security wonks at the company found 70 network-based intrusions compared to 13 from malware.

The Google Play store is to noone's surprise the safest place to download apps given Google's security controls. One in 1600 apps there is malicious, compared to Samsung's shop with one in 900, Amazon with a lousy one in 130, and the anarchist Aptoid pirate hangout with one in 23 apps being a malicious thing. ®

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