"This year we have seen record breaking numbers of malware, especially on mobile devices, where the uptick is in direct correlation to popularity," Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs, said in a statement.
In the second quarter of 2011, Google's Android operating system-based malware surpassed Nokia's Symbian as the most popular target for mobile malware developers, McAfee, a unit of Intel Corp, said in a report.
"The rapid rise in Android malware in Q2 indicates that the platform could become an increasing target for cybercriminals," McAfee said.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Vinu Pilakkott)
