With the sheer number of mobile devices sold each year, security experts are starting to worry about the possible threats that may arise from use of mobile devices in the coming year. The increasing number of individuals who use their smartphones for business purposes further complicates the matter.

A recent study commissioned by IT security solutions provider Lumension and conducted by the Ponemon Institute indicate that a large majority (75 percent) of IT security experts feel that attacks on smartphones and other mobile devices will be the main security concerns of major companies in the coming year. In addition to this, 68 percent of the IT security professionals involved in the survey said that their own mobile devices have had run-ins with malware in the last year. In comparison, a similar survey taken in 2010 indicated that a mere 9 percent of these professionals saw mobile devices as a real threat to company security.

While larger companies often have mobile security measures in place, a large number of smaller companies are vulnerable from attacks on the mobile devices of their employees.

"We've seen the threat landscape fundamentally change over the last five years," says Dr. Larry Ponemon from the Ponemon Institute. "Trending data shows increasing concern, year over year, over the explosion of mobile devices on the network. It's now IT's greatest risk. And unfortunately, 46 percent of our respondents report no efforts are in place to secure them.

The problem becomes even more evident with the rise in the number of malware incidents on mobile devices. As the number of mobile users grows, hackers will resort to using malware to access sensitive data on these devices and the problem is exacerbated by the fact that many companies are yet to increase their budgets for mobile device security.