As threats of malicious software attack continue to increase on Android-powered smartphones and tablets, McAfee is looking to enhance its mobile security software.

Currently, the two most renowned smartphone operating systems are Google's Android and Apple's iOS. Four Android smartphones are shipped for every iPhone sold. This whopping number has increased from a 2.5:1 ratio when compared to last year, per reports.

The ever-growing demand of Android smartphones has captured 68 percent of the worldwide market share. "Android continues to lead the smartphone market in the U.S., with a majority of smartphone owners (51.8%) using an Android OS handset," indicate reports.

The immense increase of Android smartphone sales come hand-in-hand with a growth in the reported malware, which has also surged by 64 percent, compared to Q1 2012. "Every quarter, Android malware continues to grow in number, and Q2 2012 is no exception. We received a total of 5033 malicious Android application package files, or APKs, most of which are coming from third-party Android markets," noted the F-Secure Mobile Threat report.

McAfee announced enhancements to its Mobile Security software. This enhancement will provide Android smartphone and tablet owners with added privacy features that will assure users that apps are not accessing their personal details without their knowledge. "With McAfee Mobile Security, consumers can now filter their App Alert notifications to just those apps that are using permissions of interest or concern to the user. Whether selecting new apps, shopping online, browsing social networks or employing mobile banking, McAfee Mobile Security protects the mobile user with security that is as simple as it is powerful," said Luis Blando, vice president of engineering, McAfee.

Is Security Software Needed at All?

It depends on the user of a device to either permit certain apps to run on their device or to debar unknown apps. Security or anti-virus apps will not stop something a user is specifically handing permission to; so, users should be cautious while granting access to apps.

McAfee offers its mobile security software for $29.99 for a year's subscription, which is available for Android, BlackBerry, and Symbian devices. Currently, free mobile security softwares are available for Android phone users. Therefore, the issue of users being convinced to pay for something, when they can easily get it for free, arises.

Even though users of smartphone and tablets store a lot of data on their portable devices, most prefer keeping important data on their PC's or laptops, which offer security systems when compared with a smartphone or a tablet. Whether the market for mobile security software increases rapidly enough, so that users require a full virus scanner or a firewall, is anybody's guess.