Quick Heal Threat Reports Q1, 2015 Identifies Pre-installed Software on Machines as Common Sources of Spreading Adware in Next Quarter

- Quick Heal receives 3 million malware samples every month

- Witnesses Rising Cases of Ransomware and Adware across both Android and Windows platforms

Quick Heal Technologies Limited has come out with its Threat Reports for the first quarter of the year 2015 with a forecast that the threat of pre-installed software on machines would be a common source of spreading Adware in the next quarter and even the newly purchased machines would carry the risk of malware and should be thoroughly scanned.

The reports further revealed that IT security is a constantly evolving domain and this is backed up by the growing numbers of malware samples detected. It lists out the top malware threats, samples and upcoming trends of both Windows and Android platforms. Even your trusted sources of programs and applications can open doors for malware into systems.

Mr. Sanjay Katkar, CTO, Quick Heal Technologies, said, “We have come across the rising cases of Ransomware and Adware across both Android and Windows platforms. Ransomware is evolving further with different file formats and social engineering tricks to increase its reach and impact. Several Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) will also be targeted at government, finance, healthcare, education and other sectors”, Mr. Katkar said.

“We at Quick Heal continue to be on the lookout for such threats to provide its customers with complete protection against security risks”, Mr. Katkar added.

Andriod users today need to check the permissions that they accept before installing an App. Many of the applications do not need all the permissions as the Game may need the permission to have in-app purchases but why would a game need to know the users location. As people come across more about such threats, attackers are devising new ways to trick people into infecting their systems. Consequently, computer users need to be mindful about every single click. To supplement safe behavior online, a reliable security solution cannot be overlooked.

Key findings of Q1, 2015 for Android

• Quick Heal Threat Research Labs received 4,30,000 Android samples per month in the first quarter of 2015 which is a 185% increase from the same time last year.

• The samples included 158 new families of Android malware and 212 new variants of existing Android malware families.

• Android Adware continued to be the dominant force of samples with a 59% share in the detected sample variants.

• 17 new variants of Android Adware were also detected. This highlights how Android users need to be wary of unwanted ads on their devices.

• The most prominent Android sample from Q1 was Android.Airpush.G, which is a form of Android Adware.

• Android ransomware will continue to plague devices and 4 new variants of popular ransomware Android.Simplocker were detected. If plagued with ransomware, users should never actually pay the ransom.

• Social engineering attacks on popular social networking and chatting apps such as WhatsApp will see a rise in the coming months. Users should be careful about forwarded messages and invitations.

• Banking credentials and mobile banking apps will come under the radar of attackers in the coming months.

Key findings of Q1, 2015 for Windows

• On the Windows platform, Quick Heal Threat Research Labs detected 2.3 million malware samples per month in the first quarter of 2015.

• The most common malware sample detected was W32.Autorun.Gen, which is a Worm that spreads via USB devices. We recommend, USB devices should always be scanned when inserted into computers.

• Windows Adware that enters the system via bundled software and then proceeds to change the browser and search engine settings was also detected in many cases. Users should carefully check for bundled software while installing programs.

• Ransomware also continued to propagate further in this quarter. The most prevalent ransomware sample detected was Cryptowall 3.0.

• The ‘Superfish’ vulnerability was discovered in Lenovo laptops shipped between September 2014 and February 2015. This vulnerability has since been resolved by Lenovo.

For full report write to us or visit: http://www.quickheal.co.in/resources/threat-reports

About Quick Heal Technologies:

Quick Heal Technologies Pvt. Ltd., founded in 1993, is a leading IT security solutions provider and an ISO 9001 certified company. Over a span of 21 years the company’s R&D has focused on endpoint and network security solutions. Quick Heal has partnered with Microsoft and Intel. The products are internationally certified by ICSA Labs, AV-Test and more. The company has global offices in UAE, US, Japan and Kenya. It has a well-connected network of 15000 plus channel partners in more than 100 countries worldwide. Quick Heal Technologies employs more than 1200 people across 33 branches in the country.