Symantec CEO Says Apple, Google Applications Malware Targets

Symantec Corp. Chief Executive Officer Enrique Salem said downloadable applications for smartphones and tablets represent a new front in the fight against computer threats.

Applications available from Apple Inc.’s App Store and Google Inc.’s Android Market are vulnerable to attacks by hackers who want information housed on handsets and tablet computers, Salem said in an interview yesterday at Bloomberg’s San Francisco office. Apple’s store boasts more than 350,000 applications, while Android Market has more than 200,000.