A rudimentary, SMS-based botnet is ensnaring Android users into its web with a series of text messages offering free downloads for popular, paid gaming applications, according to Cloudmark researcher Andrew Conway.
In yet another blow to the tenuous false sense of security among Apple users, the Russian antivirus firm Dr. Web has uncovered what it claims is a first-of-its-kind fake installer Trojan targeting Mac machines and extorting their users with SMS fraud.
The Federal Trade Commission on Monday said it’s launching “non-public investigations” to determine if mobile application providers are violating federal laws by collecting information on children without their parents’ permission.A report indicates almost 60 percent (235) of the children-centric mobile apps the agency reviewed from Google and Apple app stores collected device IDs and other private data often shared with an advertising network, analytics company or other third party. More than half also displayed advertising, such as one children’s app that showed an advertisement for an adult singles club. Only 20 percent disclosed their privacy policy.
Google’s brand new application verification service for Android, released in JellyBean 4.2, fails to measure up to its commercial counterparts, according to researchers from North Carolina State University.The new service determines whether applications installed on Android devices are malicious, yet in comparisons with 10 leading antivirus engines, and even Google’s newly acquired VirusTotal scanner, the new service detects at best 20 percent of Android malware.
Qualcomm has patched a handful of vulnerabilities in its devices that if exploited could leave Android OS kernels open to privilege escalation or denial of service (DoS) attacks.
Malicious apps have emerged as perhaps the most serious threat to mobile devices at the moment, and the major players, such as Apple and Google, have tried several different methods of preventing them from getting into their app stores and into the hands of users. Now, Google is taking one more step with the launch of a new service called the Private Channel for Google Apps, which gives enterprises and other organizations the ability to create private app stores and control the apps their users can download.
UPDATE–A day after an independant security researcher disclosed a vulnerability in SMS-enabled Twitter accounts, the social network giant announced it’s fixed the flaw – at least for some users. Those who use a “long code” and/or cannot use a PIN code remain at risk.
Android malware developers in Japan continue to peddle their product across the Internet and through the Google Play marketplace, undeterred by recent arrests in the nation.
Fake and malicious Android apps have become an industry unto themselves in the last couple of years, as attackers have sought to capitalize on the massive market share that the mobile OS enjoys worldwide. It’s a safe bet that any popular new app will attract a malicious copycat version, and researchers have found that the latest app on this list is Angry Birds Star Wars.
Google has divulged more information about its forthcoming application verifier for the Android operating system. The feature is being rolled out over the air alongside the latest build of the OS, Jelly Bean 4.2, on Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus devices as of yesterday.While it can be disabled, the app verifier feature is turned on by default according to a new description from Google/Nexus that describes the process as follows:
Infosec Insider content is written by a trusted community of Threatpost cybersecurity subject matter experts. Each contribution has a goal of bringing a unique voice to important cybersecurity topics. Content strives to be of the highest quality, objective and non-commercial.
Sponsored Content is paid for by an advertiser. Sponsored content is written and edited by members of our sponsor community. This content creates an opportunity for a sponsor to provide insight and commentary from their point-of-view directly to the Threatpost audience. The Threatpost editorial team does not participate in the writing or editing of Sponsored Content.
