Scammers have already begun to take advantage of Adobe’s recent decision to remove its Flash Player from Android’s Google Play marketplace. Last week’s removal has prompted scammers to start promoting fake versions of the software to unsuspecting smartphone owners. While researching the scamware, security firm GFI Labs uncovered a separate fake version of the Flash Player that’s not only bogus but an SMS Trojan that comes bundled with adware.
According to a post on the company’s blog, the app named ‘adobeflashinstaller.apk’ comes replete with adware from the mobile ad network AirPush. Once installed, the app tricks users into following a series of steps to root their phone before downloading another .APK file. This file, hosted on a XDA-Developers forum post, is a hacked version of Adobe’s Flash Player app. While the app isn’t necessarily malicious, it’s not authorized by the company, meaning it’s possible the app could grant or install permissions without the users’ knowledge further down the line.
Meanwhile, the app’s adware leads to the installation of advertisements on the phone. If the user tries to deletes them, the adware will simply add more of them. The adware also will change the users’ home page; send pop-up ads to the phone’s status bar every fifteen minutes and even read and send the users’ phonebook contacts to advertisers.
Adobe ceased development on Flash Player for Android on August 15 after announcing it was shifting its focus to AIR, a runtime environment that allows apps that utilize Flash to run on devices natively. Adobe added that the current version of Flash Player as it stands may exhibit “unpredictable behavior” when the next version of Android, Jelly Bean, is further rolled out.
Suggested you could have included a link or single sentence on what people who want the current flash player should do now, or go to get the current one, etc - or is AIR now out etc? All you’ve done now is basically tell people, no more flash on driod until Adobe can be bothered to get out of bed …
Geez… What a BUST for Googles Android, again. The first thing I see when I hear or think of my Google Android Expensive tablet is; a featherless chicken runing aimlesly through fox heaven. If I could dump this thing for a quarter of what I bought it for 4 months ago, I would leave skid marks on my driveway… I don’t think there’s much any Internet Security provider can do to protect Googles Android. How do you keep flies of stinking spit? In my opinion, Android is the biggest piece of malware ever foisted on the pubic. The news constantly supports my observation. At least Apple vets its apps! I’m NO Apple fan. They seem to have it all over Android. Very unhappy Android victim.
WEll my lap top (this lap top) is virtually lost to me! Trojans, ad ware, even my android is running bogus flashe player ++. I’m past fighting these scum bags. they just beat me and I’m laying down!
My password is changed every day on my 3 emails. gmail, yahoo, FB to by someone or something?
No one really want’s to help, certainly not the service providers. After 10 years my wifes HMail has gone. MS cannot get it back. HM didn’t even say sorry. Everyone want to sell us crap like this. Free! yeh! 80MB and you still have nothing to fight with. Everyone wants money! Some of us pensioners don’t have money and cannot understand what’s going on. An invisible thief came and took away what little social life we had. Our love, help advice and even our poems, and songs we shared are gone, and so are our friends now! How do we cope with this? Where do me find the emotional energy at out age?
I do know a Canadian Phamacutics company send me a lot of mail!¡. The Bastards!
rememeber I cannot read my emails anymore so???
Any time you let the public be able to make apps you open yourself up to infections, however you also allow alot more innovation, closing your doors like apple does stifles innovation, What needs to be done is a better way of screaning the apps in android, thier bouncer program does a halfway decent job but something else needs to be done. I am sure google will figure out something.
Friends.. every problem had its own solution, when you are enjoying the thing think that there is envy of other,who is trying to mislead, or distruct the things without knowing the unknown..what we had to do is think twice before we purchase anything and do perfect maintaince everyweek.. check the appropriate which is important and also check the sensible matters.. becoz the world is big enough to provide and as well for capture any electronic things… to gain money
You have much confidence in Google. I’m NOT an Apple fan by any means, but Apple does the screening of apps. before they’re posted on their app. store; hense the price. I see Google as the old town square public facility. I betray my age with that comment, but the public water hole was a squalid, infested filthy place… we get what we pay for. With the Google Android OS, we got the old public watering hole with a blazing marque, bright lites, and a million dollar add campaign. What they didn’t show or allow to get out was the truth about Android! It’s an unatended public toilet with a skeleton janatorial crew. Best of all: Google Android is the automation machine for Google data mining inc. Remember queen pelosie’s brilliant comment? “You have to pass the bill to see what’s in it”. Google. All of course in my opinion. R. Orlando Fl. USA.
I truely feel for you. I’m also in this stage. We’re like old cell phones with a cycled out battery… Doesn’t hold a charge very long. It sounds like you’ve got major malware or some serious hacks in you computer. Web mail is a serious bad act! If your infected, changing your webmail password won’t help. I find the Kaspersky suite unsurpassed. Any security suite MUST be totally locked. At this point, I’m not sure any security suite will help… I can’t over-stress the importance of backups… You most likely need to reformat the drive(s) and start over, it makes good practice. Some of these bad actors infect hardward firmware so a re-format may not be enough. I’d certainly try! Get your Email via an Internet Service Providers server and an Email address from them. Use an Email program like ThunderBird or Windows Live. Webmail is a cesspool. Make a hobby of it. Save everything you currently have on an external hard drive. After you reformat, install your Operating System, install Kaspersky, give it a password and Lock It! Reload your stuff. Stay Offline as much as you possibly can untill your back up. If you use a router, make sure it’s Locked and secure.