Mobile phone spam and mobile phone viruses are both areas of big technology security concern according to the most recent report by McAfee. The computer security company has released its annual mobile phone report and the bad news is in that there has been a huge jump in mobile phone malware reports in just the past year.

The 2008 statistic from McAfee was that less than twenty percent of the world’s mobile phone handset makers had experienced problems with mobile phone viruses and spam issues. This year that number has climbed to over fifty percent.

The issues that are related to mobile phone security threaten a broad range of different categories of cell phone use. The biggest area of concern is the issue of privacy; many viruses tap into the private information that you have stored on your cell phone in an attack similar to phishing. Other areas of that may be impacted include the ability to use the phone, problems with the network and problems related to third party mobile phone applications.

The bright news is that mobile phone industry experts are aware of the problem and are working to improve mobile phone security. McAfee reports that over two thirds of handset makers have made mobile phone security a priority for this year. In the meantime, use common sense when using your mobile phone, particularly when downloading applications or opening links from your mobile web.