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Infected Androids Run Up Big Texting Bills

Posted by Roblimo on from the watch-out-for-unsanctioned-app-stores dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "Computerworld reports that a rogue Android app is hijacking smartphones and running up big texting bills to premium rate numbers before the owner knows it. Chinese hackers grabbed a copy of Steamy Windows, a free program, added a backdoor Trojan horse to the app's code, then placed the reworked app on unsanctioned third-party "app stores" where unsuspecting or careless Android smartphones find it, download it and install it."

4 of 279 comments (clear)

  1. Holy AI, Batman by Calibax · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "[...] where unsuspecting or careless Android smartphones find it, download it and install it."

    I really dislike careless phones. Perhaps reviewers can test and report which are careful.

    I'd also like to know how to make my phone less naive about unauthorised app stores.

    Perhaps I should take away my phone's download privileges...

  2. Re:Oh noes! by icebike · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Obviously this means we should abdicate (forcibly, if necessary) all control over our computing devices to large corporations with a vested interest in denying us the ability to use them as we see fit.

    You buy stuff from trusted sources. There are a few trusted ones, and none of them have addresses in China.
    The people getting these infected apps knew damn well what they were doing. They had to make at lease one nonstandard setting, download in a nonstandard way, and launch the installation in a nonstandard way. Looking for Porn is my guess. I have very little sympathy.

    The point is no one falls into this trap using the Google market or the upcoming Amazon market, or a couple others.

    --
    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  3. Re:Common Sense by jayveekay · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Who do you trust: The phone company, the phone, or the user?

    If you trust the phone company, then having a cellphone contract option to limit data/text/etc. usage to some cap can mitigate the worst case bill you'll be surprised with.
    If you trust the phone, then OS options to limit what an app can do can mitigate worse case damage done.
    In either case, you have to trust the user to make the right choices with respect to cellphone contract or app permissions.

    I think my problem is that I don't trust any of the above.

  4. permissions by t2t10 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They had to make at lease one nonstandard setting, download in a nonstandard way, and launch the installation in a nonstandard way

    More importantly, they had to give the app permission to send texts. Very few apps need that permission.