Google Finally Uses Remote Kill Switch On Malware

Hugh Pickens writes writes "The Google Mobile Team has announced that in addition to removing the 21 malicious applications from Android Market that were downloaded 50,000 times, suspending the associated developer accounts, and contacting law enforcement about the attacks, they are remotely removing the malicious applications from affected devices. 'We are pushing an Android Market security update to all affected devices that undoes the exploits to prevent the attacker(s) from accessing any more information from affected devices,' wrote the team on their blog. 'For affected devices, we believe that the only information the attacker(s) were able to gather was device-specific (IMEI/IMSI, unique codes which are used to identify mobile devices, and the version of Android running on your device).' Google's actions come after numerous complaints in tech publications. "Does Google really want its Android Market to gain the reputation of being a cesspool of malware? 'Certainly not,' wrote Nicholas Deleon in TechCrunch. 'But then part of the allure of the Android Market is that it's open; you don't have to play by Google's rules, per se, to get on there like you do with Apple's App Store.'"

Comments

Re:GJ GOOGLE

[Haven]

The next time Microsoft releases a patch for a security vulnerability I would like to see this sentiment repeated.

Re:260,000 infected Android devices

[pandrijeczko]

You'll need to tell me how wide you are holding your fingers or arms apart when you say "this much" such that I can get a sense of scale from you.

Once I know that, I can indeed inform you quite categorically whether I am indeed a bigger or smaller asshole than that.