Windows Devices Amount to 80% of Malware Transferred via Mobile Networks (MSFT) (GOOG) (AAPL)
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Windows may have just a small share of the mobile market, but there's one segment its winning: malware.
According to PC World, citing a recent Alcatel-Lucent market report, Windows devices and PCs connected via dongles, mobile Wi-Fi hotspots or tethered through phones, accounted for 80 percent of malware transferred to mobile devices as of June.
Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG)(Nasdaq: GOOGL) Android dropped to about 20 percent share and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and other operating systems (read: BlackBerry (Nasdaq: BBRY)) were at negligable levels.
Alcatel also noted, Mobile spyware is definitely on the increase. Ten of the malware entries on the top 25 mobile infection list are mobile spyware. These are apps that are used to spy on the phone’s owner. They track the phone’s location, monitor ingoing and outgoing calls and text messages, monitor email and track the victim’s web browsing.
Why does Windows account for so much malware when it amounts to just about 2.6 percent of the mobile market? Because of the Wi-Fi and dongle connections used by mobile users. The Windows moniker can cover more than just Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) mobile devices.
So, while the headline might be a little askew, it shows two things: Microsoft continued PC dominance and its ability to infect devices.
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