NQ Mobile Scientists Reveal Ground-Breaking New Malware Detection Method

New RiskRanker system will proactively seek out and identify risky apps in the marketplace even before they are downloaded to mobile devices

June 28, 2012

3 Min Read

PRESS RELEASE

BEIJING and DALLAS, June 27, 2012 -- PRNewswire-Asia -- Scientists from NQ Mobile's Mobile Security Research Center, in collaboration with North Carolina State University today disclosed a revolutionary new way to detect mobile threats without relying on known malware samples and their signatures.

Today, malicious software often sits in app marketplaces for days, weeks and even months being downloaded, before finally being discovered. RiskRanker is a unique analysis system that can automatically detect whether a particular app exhibits dangerous behavior. It differs from other malware tools by identifying apps with risky behavior while they are in the app market and before they make their way to a user's phone.

RiskRanker was jointly developed by NQ Mobile's Vice President of Research, Dr. Simon Shihong Zou and NQ Mobile's Chief Scientist and Associate Professor at North Carolina State University, Xuxian Jiang, along with fellow researchers.

"RiskRanker employs a unique two-step method of discovering malware," said Dr. Zou today, in a presentation at MobiSys 2012, the 10th International Conference on Mobile Systems Applications and Services, in the United Kingdom. "This two-step system greatly improves the accuracy in identifying patterns of seemingly innocent API uses that can actually be malware," Zou concluded.

In a trial run earlier this year RiskRanker scanned over one hundred thousand apps from a variety of marketplaces that provide Android applications and identified 718 malware threats, including 322 zero-day threats.

"The development of RiskRankeris another demonstration of NQ Mobile's leadership in mobile security and privacy," said NQ Mobile Chief Product Officer, Gavin Kim. "Unlike other security providers, NQ Mobile is taking a more holistic approach to mobile security and privacy protection, while proving that we can proactively protect our 172 million security, privacy, and productivity users by addressing these threats before they become a problem, not after the fact."

About NQ Mobile

NQ Mobile Inc. (NYSE: NQ) is a leading global provider of mobile Internet services focusing on security, privacy and productivity. The company was one of the first to recognize the growing security threats targeting smartphone users and is now a leading provider of Freemium subscription services with approximately 172 million registered user accounts in over 150 countries. NQ Mobile's proprietary, cloud-based security solution has been recognized by third-party testing facilities around the world as the most effective solution for detecting and combating mobile threats. NQ Mobile was bestowed the 2011 Technology Pioneer Award by the World Economic Forum for its technology leadership and innovation in mobile security. To facilitate global expansion, NQ Mobile headquarters are co-located in Beijing, China and Dallas, TX, USA. For more information on NQ Mobile, please visit www.nq.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release that state the intentions, hopes, estimates, beliefs, anticipations, expectations or predictions of the future of NQ Mobile Inc. and its management are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. It is important to note that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements include the inability to predict how many customers will subscribe for NQ Mobile Security; our lack of operating history; matters affecting the telecommunications industry generally and changes in laws or regulations affecting our operations. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law.

Media Contacts:

Kim Titus NQ Mobile 972-841-0506 [email protected]

Eric Villines MWW Group for NQ Mobile 214-668-9793 [email protected]

Investor Contact:

Mattan Lurie NQ Mobile [email protected]

Read more about:

2012
Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox.

You May Also Like


More Insights