Android Gets its First Trojan
PrintAndroid has had a few security scares during its meteoric rise to greatness, but this is the first time a software package could accurately be described as a malicious trojan. The malware, called Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer, appears to be a standard Android application with the .APK file extension. Upon installing, the app will begin sending out SMS messages to premium numbers. This racks up huge charges on customer bills. It could be a big payday for the criminal elements behind this trojan.
This application is not available through the Android Market, it is obtained from outside sources and must be side-loaded onto the phone. This has kept its spread limited to Russia so far. Even if international users were infected, they could not be charged by the premium number being used. In response to the issue Google said in a statement, "Users must explicitly approve this access in order to continue with the installation. We consistently advise users to only install apps they trust. In particular, users should exercise caution when installing applications outside of Android Market."
Is this the beginning of a trend? If this proves to be just the first volley in a campaign to target Android with malware, we might be running mobile security apps out of necessity rather than paranoia.
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body
August 12, 2010 at 1:33am
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Blues22475
August 11, 2010 at 6:10am
Was bound to happen. Like it was already stated, hackers/malware creators always target things that are very popular and many people are using.
I just wish people would leave (by people I mean hackers/malware creators) good things alone.
skelleman
August 10, 2010 at 8:49pm
I agree with Nadako. Apple has become a coorporate muscle man in the last few years.
They already push the envelope by intruding into your Iphones, Itunes and Ipads and Ipods and deleting or messing about your system at will... It would not surprise me and, infact, I'm pretty certain that a big part of viruses/trojans and other malicious software ARE created by them in an effort to undermine PCs. Thats why they are so quick to use it as a sales pitch...
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