Android has been outed as the worst OS for malware attacks according to McAfee's third quarter threat reports, highlighting some of the difficulties associated with the Google's "open source" mobile operating system.

Although the Q3 report comes as no surprise, with Q2 figures reading much the same in terms of Android security flaws, the amount of malicious software aimed at Android phones had taken a steep rise: rising by 37 per cent on the previous quarter. This combined with a 76 percent rise in Android malware for second quarter makes for slightly grim reading.

McAfee also highlighted that nearly all the malware produced for mobile in Q3 was aimed at Android. This, in part, down to the huge rise in popularity of the OS carried by a range of high-end Android handsets.

Two of the main ways in which phones have been targeted is through SMS-based Trojans, which can steal funds through the collection of personal info; and  a type of malware that records your phone conversation before forwarding them onto the perpetrator.

Much of this malware could possibly be stopped by better checks on the Android market, as this is the portal which the attackers use; whether that would be welcomed by all is, however, another matter. It's also important to note that this report, and others, all come from anti-virus companies with a vested interest in increasing the paranoia amongst mobile users.

Have you been caught out by malware on Android? Let us know in the comments.