Infographic: Timeline shows 10 years of mobile device malware (2004-2014)

It’s been 10 years since the first piece of mobile malware appeared in the wild, a worm called Cabir that infected Symbian feature phones. It’s only in the past couple of years, however, that mobile malware has come to be such a threat to everyday users.

In the past 12 months, SophosLabs has seen an alarming acceleration in the development of Android malware. The current total of 650,000+ pieces of Android malware is up by approximately 600% from last January. Check out our mobile malware timeline below for our picks for the most important developments of the past decade, from the birth of mobile malware to today.

Mobile Security Threat Report

It’s been 10 years since the first mobile malware appeared. To mark this dubious anniversary, we’ve produced our first Mobile Security Threat Report. Download the report at sophos.com/mobilethreatreport to see how mobile threats have evolved, and to learn how best to protect yourself and your organization.

Get the free app: Sophos Mobile Security for Android

Sophos Mobile Security is a robust yet lightweight app that protects your Android devices without compromising performance or battery life. Using up-to-the-minute intelligence from SophosLabs, it automatically scans apps as you install them. Other features include a privacy advisor, encryption, and per-app password protection that you can set up for sensitive apps like your email.

We’ve received several awards and many great reviews for Sophos Mobile Security, which has been downloaded more than 100,000 times from Google Play.