McAfee: Fastest Malware Growth in 4 Years

Advertisement

Hackers are not letting up. According to Intel’s (NASDAQ:INTC) McAfee division, the company saw a 23% increase in new types of malware in the latest quarter, marking the fastest growth rate in four years.

The main target for malware still is the PC. But in the past few years, Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Mac computers have seen more threats.

Perhaps the biggest security threat is for mobile devices — a market that’s growing at a torrid rate. (For example, devices using Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system are seeing 1 million activations per day.) One pernicious virus on this front is “ransomware,” which will take control of a smartphone and only release it when a payment is made.

Consumers often do not realize the problems until it is too late. Naturally, this could be a big opportunity for security companies such as Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC), which could find plenty of new growth from the mobile market.

— Tom Taulli, InvestorPlace


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2012/09/mcafee-fastest-malware-growth-in-4-years/.

©2024 InvestorPlace Media, LLC