Malicious and high-risk Android apps represent the most serious security threat to businesses and consumers in 2013, according to a report by Trend Micro. The company expects there will be 1 million of these apps by the end of the year, up from 350,000 at the end of 2012. While traditional PC malware will recede a bit next year, threats to devices running Android will more than make up for them.

The report, “Security Threats to Business, the Digital Lifestyle, and the Cloud” also found that the emergence of more digital lifestyle devices means that threats could appear in new and unexpected places, such as television sets and home appliances. Furthermore, Africa appears to be the next safe harbor for these cybercriminals.

“In 2013, people are going to have a harder time managing the security of their devices,” said Raimund Genes, CTO of Trend Micro. “Different platforms, operating systems, and security models will make it more difficult to protect ourselves than ever before.”

Additionally, the slow adoption of Windows 8 by business means that consumers will be the leading beneficiaries of its security enhancements in 2013. Also, cybercriminals will target legitimate cloud services and data breaches will remain a serious threat in the new year, in part because existing security tools don’t protect cloud data as well as traditional storage. 

Trend Micro also says that consumers will increasingly use multiple computing platforms and devices, making securing them a difficult challenge. Politically motivated attacks will become more destructive in 2013. And, conventional malware threats will evolve gradually with few, if any, significant new attacks. However, the attacks that do occur will be more sophisticated and harder to detect.

The study notes that efforts to address global cybercrime are gaining traction, but they will need two or three more years to reach full implementation. Genes notes, though, that the timing is perfect for security defenders to set new standards and deliver new solutions that will have a disturbing impact on the underground economy.

Trend Micro