Android Botnet Infects 1 Million Plus Phones 92
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.
Excellent fact-checking as usual (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.zdnet.com/new-android-malware-infects-100000-chinese-smartphones-7000000497/ [zdnet.com]
Not in Google Play at all.
Not from Google Play (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?
Re:Excellent fact-checking as usual (Score:5, 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.
Re:Excellent fact-checking as usual (Score:2, Informative)
Everybody knows Chinese people always download from Chinese pirate sites. You can get everything for free. Including infected.
Re:Excellent fact-checking as usual (Score:4, Informative)
Chinese users often have no choice, as Google Play is often not present in the phone. Manually installing it is quite complicated.
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)