Android App Mutates Source Code, Spreads Virally and Enables Mesh Networks (thestack.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers from the Delft University of Technology have developed a self-replicating, mutating Android app which can create on-the-fly mesh networks in the event of an infrastructural disaster, or the enabling of internet kill switches by oppressive regimes. The app's source is available at GitHub, and the app itself requires no root privileges to propagate. It can self-compile while it mutates — for example, from a game to a calculator — in transit from one Android device to another, and compatibility with iOS and Windows phones is anticipated.

Comments

Re:how?

[gl4ss]

well, it either uses some exploits (Spreads virally) making the 'not needing root' a bit pointless or something.

OR the article is just bullshit and the mislead the writer on purpose which I find FAR FAR more likely.

basically the blurb is such a piece of shit that you would think that the mesh networking app 'mutates' itself from being a game into a calculator app. like, if it can do coherent apps by mutating itself then hot damn fucking forget the mesh network.

ok, maybe, maayyybe it works by repacking an app already on the device and bluetooths/wifi sends it over to another device, but iirc that would need root(or exploits giving you root). like first one gets it inside a game application and then it gets resent in a calculator app forward. you don't really need a full compiler either if you're just shifting bytecode back and forth or changing symbol names.