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Over 60% of Android Malware Hides In Fake Versions of Popular Apps

Posted by Soulskill on from the 60-percent?-that's-almost-80-percent! dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Like any popular platform, Android has malware. Google's mobile operating system is relatively new, however, so the problem is still taking form. In fact, it turns out that the larger majority of threats on Android come from a single malware family: Android.FakeInstaller, also known as OpFake, which generates revenue by silently sending expensive text messages in the background. McAfee says that the malware family makes up more than 60 percent of Android samples the company processes."

5 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. McAfee is trying hard to get into this market by Terry+Pearson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Meh...

    If you are not smart enough to install non-market Android apps, you have no problem.

    If you are smart enough to install non-market Android apps, you know what you are getting into.

    With great power comes great responsibility. I think these pieces keep surfacing because the Anti-Virus companies desperately need to get into this market. They see it is the future and they want a piece of it.

  2. NOT apps on Play by oGMo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Top of article:

    McAfee says that the malware family makes up more than 60 percent of Android samples the company processes.

    End of article:

    If you want to significantly reduce your chance of getting malware such as this one, only install apps from the official Google Play store. That being said, malware has snuck into the store before, so it can happen again.

    So in essence this article is a nearly-worthless scare piece. Unless you're downloading "pirated" versions of (presumably) commercial apps from a shady source, this article isn't relevant. But then, it's a McAfee article, so surprise.

    --

    Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage

  3. Yet another reason SMS should die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's 2012 - most phones can connect to a mail server over 2G, 3G or wifi.

    Why are we still messing around with a 140-character hack that belongs in the 1990s and which requires the recipient to be using a phone?

    Just send an e-mail.

  4. Re:How does an expensive SMS make them money? by number11 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Premium messaging services. Like those "text "joke" to 55555 for a joke of the day" ads on TV or donate-via-text things. The carrier pays them, and tacks that charge onto your bill.

    Hmm.. The malware dials a premium number, and the carrier charges you and sends the money to the holder of that premium number. If we could just track down who that is, we could find out just how much ill-gotten gains they've received. If there was just a way to identify them.

  5. Re:How does an expensive SMS make them money? by ThatsMyNick · · Score: 4, Informative

    And you can block these too. Call your carrier and ask from them to disable Third Party Billing. I know AT&T and Verizon do it for you, when you ask. No more "premium sms charges", no more "premium sex line charges"