Here are some other key findings from the company's latest report

Apr 15, 2013 21:01 GMT  ·  By

A new report published today by NQ Mobile shows that the number of mobile malware threats increased by 163% last year. 

The figures from the report show that in 2012 most malicious elements, 95% to be more precise, targeted Android devices.

In total, the company estimates that 32.8 million Android smartphones were infected, representing a 200% increase compared to the previous year. Most of the infected devices were in China (25.5%), India (19.4%), Russia (17.9%), the US (9.8%) and Saudi Arabia.

Cybercriminals relied on three main methods to spread their creations: app repackaging, malicious URLs and smishing.

The study also reveals the fact that 65% of the malware discovered last year fell into the Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP) category, which includes, adware, Trojans, root exploits and spyware.

"The security industry's 'discover-first-and-inoculate-second' strategy is no longer enough," said Omar Khan , Co-CEO, NQ Mobile.

"We need smarter systems that can discover threats before they infect consumers as well as more education so consumers can better spot and avoid these new mobile scams."

The complete report is available here.