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Android Botnet Infects 1 Million Plus Phones

Posted by timothy on from the click-here-to-download dept.

Trailrunner7 writes "Up to a million Android users in China could be part of a large mobile botnet, according to research unveiled by Kingsoft Security, a Hong Kong-based security company, this week. The botnet has spread across phones running the Android operating system via Android.Troj.mdk, a Trojan that researchers said exists in upwards of 7,000 applications available from non-Google app marketplaces, including the popular Temple Run and Fishing Joy games." Update: 01/19 12:54 GMT by S : Changed summary to reflect that these apps didn't come from Google Play.

6 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Excellent fact-checking as usual by Macthorpe · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.zdnet.com/new-android-malware-infects-100000-chinese-smartphones-7000000497/

    Not in Google Play at all.

    --
    "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    1. Re:Excellent fact-checking as usual by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Informative

      Since most people are too lazy to RTFA the malware infected apps are actually on China Mobile's own app store, not Google Play.

      It looks like another case of a company thinking "everyone has an app store, we should get one!" but not realizing there is a need to actively police it.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Excellent fact-checking as usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Everybody knows Chinese people always download from Chinese pirate sites. You can get everything for free. Including infected.

    3. Re:Excellent fact-checking as usual by koxkoxkox · · Score: 3, Informative

      Chinese users often have no choice, as Google Play is often not present in the phone. Manually installing it is quite complicated.

    4. Re:Excellent fact-checking as usual by SternisheFan · · Score: 4, Informative

      Damn it! iPhone is once again not affected. One of these days I'll get the chance to welcome the malware overlords!

      I wouldn't act so apple-ey smug, if I were you. Apple iPhones have infected apps out there in the wild also, same as Android. If you jailbreak your phone and download apps from outside the apple store, you too will be risking getting malware.

  2. Not from Google Play by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Actual BBC story:"Trojan had been found in more than 7,000 apps downloaded from _non-Google-owned_ stores."

    It's a bit weird that neither the submitter nor the threatpost author thought it strange that thousands of popular apps on Google Play would include a trojan that has been known about for over a year?