Smartphones have become small computers that meet many of our needs, from e-mail and banking transactions to communication and social media use. In line with these attractive functions, the use of smartphones has greatly increased over the years. One of the most important features of these mobile devices is that they offer users many mobile applications that they can install. However, hacker attacks and the spread of malware have also increased. Today, current mobile malware detection and defense technologies are still inadequate. Mobile security is not only directly related to the operating system and used device but also related with communication over the internet, data encryption, data summarization, and users’ privacy awareness. The main aim and contribution of this study are to collect the current state of mobile security and highlight the future of mobile security in light of the recent mobile security threat reports. The studies in the field of malware, attack types, and security vulnerabilities concerning the usage of smartphones were analyzed. The malware detection techniques were analyzed into two categories: signature-based and machine learning (behavior detection)-based techniques. Additionally, the current threats and prevention methods were described. Finally, a future direction is highlighted in the light of the current mobile security reports.