The number of mobile malware samples grew 20 times in 2013, said Alcatel-Lucent in a statement.
The residential infection rate in fixed networks dropped from 9.6 percent in October to 8.7 percent in December. For the year, it remained relatively flat at 10 percent.
6 percent broadband residential customers were infected with high-level threats such as a bots, root-kits, and banking Trojans.
Though ZeroAccess malware topped all infections in the fourth quarter, its infection rate dropped from 0.8 percent to 0.4 percent due to Microsoft’s and Symantec’s efforts to disrupt its operations.
2013 was a year that saw mobile spyware turn infected smartphones and tablets into a cyber-espionage devices that allowed hackers to remotely track location, download contact lists and personal information, intercept and send messages, record conversation and take pictures.
Security threat to home networks remained constant with traditional fixed malware types starting to make the jump to mobile devices, said Alcatel-Lucent.