Anti-virus firm Kaspersky Labs has sounded a warning to users of iPhone and Google’s

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Android phone to be on the guard against a higher number of cyber attacks in 2010.

The Russian company, which is the largest provider of anti-virus software in Europe, has predicted that 2010 would be a difficult time for iPhone and Android. “The first malicious programmes for these mobile platforms appeared in 2009, which is a sure sign that they have aroused the interest of cybercriminals,” Alex Gostev, director of Kaspersky Lab's global research & analysis team, said.

“The only iPhone users at risk are those with compromised devices, but the same is not true for Android users who are all vulnerable to attacks,” Gostev said.

The increasing popularity of mobile phones using the Android operating system in China — combined with a lack of effective checks to verify third-party software applications — would lead to a number of high profile malware outbreaks in 2010, Kaspersky forecasted.

The current year may also see a rise in attacks originating from file sharing networks. “This year, we will see a shift in the types of attacks on users, from attacks via websites and applications toward attacks originating from file sharing networks,” Gostev observed.

Software robots, which run autonomously and automatically, could also be used to perpetrate financial crimes on the net. The cybercriminal world is making tremendous efforts to legalise itself and there are lots of ways to earn money using the huge amount of traffic that can be generated by botnets, Kaspersky said in a statement.

However the company said that 2010 may turn out to be a relatively quiet year, if miscreants fail to detect vulnerabilities in Windows 7, as well as software developed by Adobe and Apple.