China remains top site for infected mobile devices

China remains the top site across the globe of infected mobile devices, with more than 6.7 million mobile handsets experiencing malware attacks in the first half of 2013, according to the latest report released by NQ Mobile Inc.

The Beijing-based security software provider identified 51,000 new mobile malware threats in the first half of this year, up 189 percent year-on-year. More than 21 million mobile devices worldwide were infected during the period, the report said.

The top five most infected countries in 2013 along with their respective share of the world's infected mobile devices were China (31.71 percent), Russia (17.15 percent), India (10.38 percent), the United States (6.53 percent) and Thailand (6.04 percent), the report showed.

The Chinese mainland recorded the fastest growth globally in terms of infected mobile devices, as the country's share rose 6 percent year-on-year. China has the world's largest mobile population and has surpassed the Untied States to become the biggest smartphone market.

"Our midyear report shows that although we discovered 51,000 new mobile malware threats, infection rates continue to be very unpredictable and highly localized," Omar Khan, co-chief executive officer of NQ Mobile, said in a statement.

The company suggests mobile phone users only download applications from trusted app stores. In addition, people should be very careful when they respond to or click links in SMS messages, the report said.