Android malware up 76 percent, nonexistent on iOS

A recent study has found that Apple's iOS is still untouched by malware, whereas users who choose Google's Android platform are 76 percent more likely to encounter funky software, making it the most susceptible mobile operating system in the world.

McAfee's Threat Report for the second quarter of 2011 outlined the issues facing mobile OS developers. It seems as though Apple's strict stance on iOS apps and games has thus far thwarted any attempts at malware.

The only attacks on iPhones were only able to harm jailbroken phones. (Remember the Rick Astley exploit?) And only a small number of those.

Google, on the other hand, has a significantly less strict approach to getting apps and games on its Android platform. That has caused a significant number of malicious software titles to be downloaded via Google's own Android Marketplace as well as separately by users.

With 44 cases of malware in the second quarter alone, Android is nearly four times as targeted as the second-place platform, Java ME, with 14 cases.

HP's WebOS also contained no known cases of malware, joining iOS as the only other unblemished mobile platform, though the reach of WebOS is significantly less than iOS.

Does the threat of malware affect your decision on which mobile phone to purchase? If not, what does? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!