There's bad news for users of Android according to Nokia's Threat Intelligence Report. Along with the usual viruses and malware there's some worrying news about Google's Android mobile OS.

According to Nokia - a separate company to the HMD-owned smartphone business - Android devices are now the most likely to be targeted with malware over mobile networks.

Dominating with 47.15 per cent of infections while even Windows only manages 35.82 per cent of malicious software. Historically Windows, with its large install base, has been the troublemaker.

On phones the goal of malware is often to install ad software on phones. This can push people to subscribe to paid services which promise, say, security software but deliver nothing of real value.

Here's a stock image of someone pretending to be a "hacker" (
Image:
Getty Images)

The good news for Apple iPhone users is that, in spite of its massive user base, it's still responsible for 0.85 per cent of infections.

Nokia said in a white paper that there were close to 20 million Android malware samples, up 31 per cent since 2017.

The most detected malicious infection was Android.Adware.AdultSwine, which displays adverts for, you guessed it, porn.

The figures are alarming for Android users (
Image:
Nokia)

There's some good news though, because as mobile devices become the main way people interact with the internet companies like Google have tightened their app stores to restrict potential infections.

The bad news is that criminals are now targeting Internet of Things devices to install malware on. That presents real problems because these devices can give access to home networks thanks to poor security.

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But the rapid increase of smart fridges, microwaves, light bulbs and security cameras can often open new routes into your home or businesses.

These botnets can also be used to target companies using massive denial of service attacks. These take smart home devices and use them to send large chunks of data to a web server.

This can often overwhelm the server and render whatever service it offers unavailable. These botnets are, according to Nokia, responsible for a massive 78 per cent of malware detected on carrier networks.