Mobile operators concerned about security

Mobile operators are experiencing more mobile malware attacks than ever before and spending more time and money on recovery from such attacks, according to research released by McAfee this week.

The survey says nearly half of the operators who have experienced mobile malware outbreaks have had one within the last three months. Twice as many mobile operators spent over $200,000 (£103,000) on mobile security in 2006, compared to 2005.

'This research clearly demonstrates that mobile security is moving quickly up the industry agenda with the number of malware incidents rising and more time and money being dedicated to resolving mobile security issues,' said Victor Kouznetsov, senior vice president of McAfee Mobile Security.

'As mobile data use and functionality proliferates and mobile operators around the world transform their businesses from airtime revenue models to transaction-based and content-centric businesses, security is becoming an essential enabler for the success of new revenue-generating services,' he said.

The research found that 83 per cent of mobile operators questioned have been hit by mobile device infections, and the number of mobile operators estimating that the cost of dealing with mobile threats is more than 1,000 hours, increased by 700 per cent.

The main impact of security incidents affects customer satisfaction, a key issue in an industry still plagued by high turnover. Nearly a third (29 per cent) of operators said subscriber satisfaction had suffered more than any other factor including revenue. The second most serious impact from mobile malware infections was on network performance.

Some 80 per cent of mobile operators cited impact on public relations or their brand as of high concern, closely followed by the loss of credibility in the reliability of new services – a crucial issue as operators seek to increase average revenue per user (ARPU) and lifetime value in maturing markets.

What do you think? Email us at: feedback@computing.co.uk

Further Reading:

SMS dominates non-voice mobile profits

Mobile threats hit out of the blue

Mobile virus growth outpaces PC malware