McAfee: Malware Attacks on Rise

BARCELONA, Spain -- McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE) today announced findings from new research that reveals mobile operators globally are experiencing more mobile malware attacks than ever before, and spending more time and money on recovery from these attacks.

The research found that 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 on mobile security in 2006, compared to 2005.

The Informa Telecoms & Media (ITM) study, sponsored by McAfeeR, is one of the first of its kind to examine in detail mobile operators' past experiences, current attitudes and future plans with regards to mobile security. The research reveals that mobile operators are already feeling the impact of mobile threats on customer satisfaction and network performance and are increasingly concerned about the potential impact on their brand and the success of new revenue-generating services.

The Situation Today

The purpose of the study was to discover to what extent mobile operators are affected by mobile threats. The findings revealed that:

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

McAfee Inc. (NYSE: MFE)