The gravity of the problem can be understood from the fact that security of around 4 to 4.5 million phones in US has been compromised. It is not as if security experts did not know about this kind of threat previously. However, no precautionary measures were initiated earlier. The modus operandi of the hackers is simple. They let the malware get into smartphone by infecting any of the website. When the users visit these websites, the malicious code gets downloaded unknowingly. Security agencies in US are also starting to think of mobile hacking as a serious threat. Michael Rogers, the National Security Agency Director said that the mobile hacking is among top 3 security concerns in 2015. The hackers behind the malware are using this technique to make bulk purchases and sending out spam mails.
