“Smartphones running Google’s Android software have been hijacked by an illegal botnet, according to a Microsoft researcher,” BBC News reports.
“Researcher Terry Zink said there was evidence of spam being sent from Yahoo mail servers by Android devices,” The Beeb reports. “The Google platform has suffered from several high-profile issues with malware affected apps in recent months. The official store – Google Play – has had issues with fake apps, often pirated free versions of popular paid products like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja.”
The Beeb reports, “‘We are seeing a lot of activity from cybercriminals on the Android platform,’ said Security expert Graham Cluley, from anti-virus firm Sophos. ‘The best thing you can do right now is upgrade your operating system, if that’s possible.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “If that’s possible.” Big “if.”
Fragmandroid. “Open” in all the wrong ways.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “CharlieBing” for the heads up.]
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From the Sophos source article:
You can imagine the cellular phone bill you might receive if your phone is being used to download and spam out thousands of these messages.
Uh, yeah. That’s a good thing… for the cell companies. 😛
I wonder if google’s people has “Open Source Door Locks”, you know, locks that can be open with any key and that everybody can make keys for.
I get spam from illegal bonnet’s from Windows computers every day, now I’m going to get it from Android phones too!!!
There should be a spam tax on every windows computer and Android phone sold to pay for damage reparations.
(I’m not a legal person, I probably didn’t say that exactly right)
and maybe from your own phone 😉
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/07/05/apple_pulls_russian_malware_from_ios_app_store.html
Meanwhile Macworld is reporting a trojan horse app called “Find and Call” which slipped into the App store. Users beware.
http://www.macworld.com/article/1167569/report_trojan_horse_found_in_the_ios_app_store.html
Definitely a good thing to be aware of, but there’s a universe of difference between what the “Find and Call” app does, and what this malware does.
Apple’s review process and iOS 6 will put paid to “Find and Call”, but nothing short of a ground-up rewrite will take care of Android’s multitude of malware problems.
Upgrade it from Android to iOS.
illegal botnet? What is a legal botnet? The sentence make perfect sense without the word illegal. Jornalistic writing has gone to crap.
Wouldn’t a legal bonnet be a torrent or are those illegal too?
Illegal Botnet was a band I played in during the late ’80’s! We played covers of Hall & Oates songs!
SETI can be viewed as a legal botnet
“…upgrade your operating system, if that’s possible.”
“if that’s possible.” Those few words just about say it all about Android.
To upgrade an android device first you have to root your phone. Well that’s just taking sexy a bit too far. I’ll stick with my iPhone. Thanks.
G’day mate!
Android botnet? I got this in my Yahoo email yesterday.
End of spam:
>our friends and family. I’d like you to begin and make lots of income yourself, also share this e-mail with everyone you know that needs more income so we can all eliminate this economic nightmare..
>Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android
“Do know harm.”. Heh, heh. Their ripoff practices make droid users vulnerable on so many fronts to harm. Reminds me of the prayer, “…forgive for those things which I have done, and those things left undone.” What a mess.
MDN take is spit on about the big IF.