The number of security attacks against mobile phones is increasingly dramatically, according to new data from Juniper Research. 

The analyst firm has identified a raft of risks that can affect mobile users, including viruses and malware.

These dangers, combined with ever-tightening corporate governance rules and the increasing use of mobiles to store critical data, will prompt mobile users to install security products on 247 million mobile phones, nearly eight per cent of the total, by 2011.

Juniper's latest report also forecasts that mobile phone theft will continue to rise, despite initiatives by mobile operators and police forces. The analyst firm expects that nearly four per cent of mobile phones will be stolen annually by 2011.

Revenues from mobile security products, including antivirus, virtual private networks, data and file encryption and mobile identity management applications, are expected to generate almost $5bn worth of revenue by 2011.

The biggest mobile security market will be in the secure mobile content sector, where antivirus, anti-spam, anti-spyware and content filtering will make up 40 per cent of the total market, according to the report.

Revenue from mobile data and file encryption products is expected to outstrip the PC market by 2011.

"Initially driven by the data-hungry mobile business user who has seen the benefits of data services such as email, predominantly on BlackBerry devices, we will see mobile security products go mainstream by late 2008 or early 2009 resulting in a doubling of revenues from 2008 to 2010," said Juniper analyst Alan Goode, author of the report.