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Google Pulls 21 Malware Apps From Android Market
Hugh Pickens writes writes "CNN reports that Google has pulled 21 free apps from the Android Market that, according to the company, are aimed at gaining root access to the user's device, gathering a wide range of available data, and downloading more code without the user's knowledge. Unfortunately although Google has moved swiftly to remove the apps, they have already been downloaded by at least 50,000 Android users. The apps are all pirated versions of popular games and utilities which once downloaded, root the user's device using a method like rageagainstthecage, then use an Android executable file (APK) to nab user and device data, such as your mobile provider and user ID, and finally act as a wide-open backdoor for your device to quietly download more malicious code. 'If you've downloaded one of these apps, it might be best to take your device to your carrier and exchange it for a new one, since you can't be sure that your device and user information is truly secure,' writes Jolie O'Dell. 'Considering how much we do on our phones — shopping and mobile banking included — it's better to take precautions.'"
There's poor server admins, as it becomes more and more easy to administer them. It's part of my every day work to write the kind of graphical interface to help people like that. Loads of people don't understand, and try to find solutions. Yes, reimaging CAN help. No, it's not a SOLUTION if you want to understand what's going on. Sure, loads of newbies are going to do that, and they are doing wrong. Then WHAT??? We are skilled engineers, and we are paid to be better than them. Don't complain, be happy that there are tons of stupid people. Be even more happy that they are finally going to Unix and virtualization: you'll be on top of them. There's no reason to complain about them not knowing how and what to do. At the end of the day, that's what gives us the possibility to earn our every day bread, because we'll be hired to fix the crap they did.
As I always say to my hosting customers: our job is to help. If our customers knew how to do everything, we'd have no job...
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Information wants to be expensive AND wants to be free. So you have Value vs. Cheap distribution fighting each other.
iOS[...] brain-washed.
The unbrainwashed sometimes forget that a lot of people just want to get work done, not spend time fixing their tools. To make a car analogy: some people want to be drivers, not mechanics.
Better car analogy: Some people use taxis all the time rather than learning to drive themselves -- sure it costs a lot more and doesn't get you there any faster, but the high cost confers high status and both a 4-year-old and a 90-year-old could use taxis (if they could afford them).