(Stuart Corner, ITWire) Cisco has released its annual security report saying it shows "a major cybercrime turning point" in that cybercriminals have begun shifting focus from Windows PCs to smartphones, tablets and mobile platforms in general.

The report says this shift in focus is the result of three factors: significant improvements in security in the Windows environment: weak security in mobile devices and the rapid proliferation of mobile devices. However the hugely popular practice of downloading apps, from legitimate app stores is giving cybercriminals a whole new avenue to penetrate target devices.

"Third-party mobile apps are emerging as a serious threat vector. And right now, that market is like the Wild West," warns Horacio Zambrano, product line manager for Cisco. "No one is looking at these apps and determining what is a 'good app' or a 'bad app'."