Malware and Android follow an inversely proportional relationship. When one succeeds, the other one’s business is placed at risk. But it has been quite a one-sided ball game for the first half of 2011; malware saw immense victories in bugging Android systems by way of stealth attacks. In fact, the entire mobile industry was infected and affected by hacktivism. These security hazards plaguing the mobile territory were confirmed in the Q2 McAfee mobile threat report. Indeed, malware is winning and sporadically growing at a record pace.

Senior vice president of McAfee Labs, Vincent Weafer provided general insights on the malware threats and hacktivists’ growth making history over the last six months: “This year we’ve seen record-breaking numbers of malware, especially on mobile devices, where the uptick is in direct correlation to popularity. Overall attacks are becoming more stealth and more sophisticated, suggesting that we could see attacks that remain unnoticed for longer periods of time. High-profile hacktivist groups have also changed the landscape by drawing a line between attacks for personal gain and attacks meant to send a message.”

Malware Busy As A Bee. From January to March of 2011, McAfee has collected nearly 12 million unique malware samples. The next 3 months, the quantity grew to more or less 22%, giving us a grand total of 65 million for Q1 and Q2 combined. The latest round of malware disturbance was seen in Gingerbread via jailbreak exploit. This is the first of its kind.

Malware Loves Android. Malware seems to have a strong affinity for Android devices, recording a 76% jump from the first quarter’s outbreaks. While it is pimped at the top post by most developers, studies revealed that Android is still a platform chock-full with weaknesses that provide more opportunities for malware to intrude. And even before the company was able to get back on its feet after series of security breaches, these cyber criminals have already tweaked and further refined their tactics.

Android’s Take on Security. For mobile enterprises, faltering security is equivalent to downfall of the entire organization. For this reason, Google has responded and sought support from various security companies to beef up their systems and strengthen walls of defense. Odd as it may seem, but security providers make money out of such type of fears. Symantec has recently launched free mobile security app for Android. NEC and McAfee teamed up to build a product to secure the Android platform.

With Android gaining solid following and retaining top rank month-over-month in terms of business growth and impressions, it is not surprising to know that it is the prime target of malware. Google’s mobile flag carrier has invaded Asia-Pacific and surpasses Apple in the emerging markets category. But being the huge mobile brand that they are, they have to step forward and take in the responsibility in securing their users’ data. They owe it to the public to not only beef up their gaming, music, entertainment or shopping apps, but tighten security as well.