New Android Malware Uses Google Play Icon To Trick Users

An anonymous reader writes "A new trojan for Android has been discovered that can help carry out Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The malware is also capable of receiving commands from criminals as well as sending text messages for spamming purposes. The threat, detected as "Android.DDoS.1.origin" by Russian security firm Doctor Web, likely spreads via social engineering tricks. The malware disguises itself as a legitimate app from Google, according to the firm."

Re:This is why you want a walled-off app store

[masternerdguy]

Actually the android sandbox is quite sophisticated. Jellybean will randomize the location of an application's memory region in order to make buffer overflow attacks harder. Granular permissions allow a user to know exactly what an app wants to do before they even install it (it's written into the API that the app must ask for these permissions). Also Google does automated malware testing on their store in order to weed out undesirables. This thing is spread by installing an APK off of a warez site and ignoring all the scary warnings.

Re:This is why you want a walled-off app store

[Anonymous Coward]

Not to mention that by default you aren't allowed to install an APK from a source besides the play store, you have to manually disable that restriction.

Re:This is why you want a walled-off app store

[erroneus]

Cricket.

I was investigating prepaid phone service options because I want to save money and prepaid service seems to be the way to do it. Once shop I visited was "Cricket." The first thing they asked was "what kind of phone do you have?" I said "unlocked GSM." They said, but we have to install our software on it... we have to flash your device before we can put it on our network. I was utterly shocked and then angered. I left before I said anything I might regret, but I will not be doing business with Cricket now or in the future. Bad enough the carriers I buy my phones from want to control my devices. Another carrier wants to modify my property so that I can be their customer.

No. And why would I object so much to that idea?

Because I don't know what they will be putting on my computer and nor will they tell me. And so for the same reason I would not do business with Cricket, I will not generally install software from unknown sources.