Malware specifically targeting mobile devices increased 33 percent in 2010 as the pirates quickly pushed to new campaigns designed to exploit the popularity of smartphone and the fact that too many users of the cast caution when accessing and sharing data from their mobile companions.

A sharp spike of mobile malware, according to a new report on mobile provider AdaptiveMobile security software, was to be expected, as demand for Smartphone and mobile applications skyrocketed to record levels in 2010.

And while most of these attacks — like this summer’s brutally effective Trojan campaign targeting Android-powered devices — were fairly simple in design and execution, security pundits expect hackers will step up their game in 2011 with more complex scams that will exploit multiple Smartphone features and weaknesses to steal data and spread more malware.

“The next year will see the emergence of the compound threat — intelligent scams designed to exploit multiple phone capabilities in order to reap maximum reward for the criminals, before the user even realizes they have become a victim,” AdaptiveMobile COO Gareth Maclachlan said in the report.

Android, Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) open mobile operating system, continues to take share — mostly from competitors Symbian and BlackBerry — but the success comes at a price.

AdaptiveMobile’s report found that identified exploits for Android surged 400 percent from 2009 but quickly added that the total number of Android exploits is “still at a low level relative to older platforms.”

In fact, Nokia’s Symbian saw its number of identified new exploits fall 11 percent and the iPhone saw a similar percentage decline. Windows CE-based viruses rose 7 percent while the number of exploits impacting Smartphone running Java-based apps jumped 45 percent from 2009.

“With the increasing pervasiveness of Smartphone devices, 2010 has undoubtedly been the year that fraudsters have truly turned their attention to mobile platforms,” Maclachlan said. “The vast majority of consumers are acutely aware of the threats that PC-based viruses, spam messages and phishing emails pose, but many are still unaware of the risks associated with their mobile devices.”

The report concludes that this trend towards more sophisticated malware attacks to force mobile wireless operators, handset manufacturers and mobile application developers to abandon the traditional security technologies and find alternative and more sensitive smart to keep pace with the pirates and owners of malware.