Malware on Google Play Has Quadrupled Since 2011

Researchers have found that more than 42,000 apps on Google's marketplace contain spyware or Trojans.

The number of malware-infected apps in Google Play's store has nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2013, according to security group RiskIQ.
As reported on PC World, more than 42,000 apps in Google's store contained spyware or information-stealing Trojans. In 2011, that figure was just 11,000.

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Apps designed to personalise users' Android phones were found to be most susceptible, but gaming and entertainment apps were also likely contenders for maliciousness. Possible malware has been found in the Flappy Bird clones that have flooded the store since the original Flappy Bird was taken down.
“The explosive growth of mobile apps has attracted a criminal element looking for new ways to distribute malware that can be used to commit fraud, identity theft and steal confidential data,” said RiskIQ CEO Elias Manousos in the press release.
Worryingly, RiskIQ also found Google's removal of offending apps declining. While Google removed 60% of malicious apps in 2011, it removed less than a quarter of them in 2013. Google has yet to comment on the report.
Some malware steals confidential information from infected devices, such as device IDs, GPS coordinates, contacts, and recorded phone calls. Others, meanwhile, can bypass security settings to subscribe unwitting users to premium services. Some of the most-downloaded infected apps include games Finger Hockey and Subway Surfers Free Tips, as well as wallpaper app Wallpaper Dragon Ball.
Apple's App Store was not analysed in this report, so comparisons cannot be drawn between the two just yet.