Device-disabling Fake AV migrates to Android phones, demands ransom
- Thread starter The 1
- Start date
From the link above....
So far, Symantec has seen Fakedefender installed on only about 100 devices, and as stated previously, it is riddled with bugs. In addition to not working on certain models, Fakedefender also causes some infected devices to crash and doesn't allow victims to upgrade to the premium version. That suggests that the malicious app is likely still early in its development cycle.
"The thing is really all over the place," Vikram Thakur, Symantec's principal security response manager, told Ars. "Right now, it looks like it's just pure development and it made it into the wild by mistake or maybe [someone] put it out there to let the world do its quality assurance. What we've seen is definitely anything but ready for actual distribution and making money."
But as stated in the blog post, the significance of the discovery is that a malware scam that has been the bane of many computer users may soon be coming to the Android platform. Readers are reminded to think long and hard before installing apps from sources other than the official Google Play marketplace. While there's no guarantee Google Play apps will be free of malicious titles, the chances are much higher that its offerings are safe. Users should also pay close attention when installing and opening apps. Apps that ask for permission to run as an administrator should be viewed with a high degree of suspicion.
If you're going to be dumb enough to install an unknown A/V without reading reviews or seeing what users are saying on the Play store then you deserve what you get
So far, Symantec has seen Fakedefender installed on only about 100 devices, and as stated previously, it is riddled with bugs. In addition to not working on certain models, Fakedefender also causes some infected devices to crash and doesn't allow victims to upgrade to the premium version. That suggests that the malicious app is likely still early in its development cycle.
"The thing is really all over the place," Vikram Thakur, Symantec's principal security response manager, told Ars. "Right now, it looks like it's just pure development and it made it into the wild by mistake or maybe [someone] put it out there to let the world do its quality assurance. What we've seen is definitely anything but ready for actual distribution and making money."
But as stated in the blog post, the significance of the discovery is that a malware scam that has been the bane of many computer users may soon be coming to the Android platform. Readers are reminded to think long and hard before installing apps from sources other than the official Google Play marketplace. While there's no guarantee Google Play apps will be free of malicious titles, the chances are much higher that its offerings are safe. Users should also pay close attention when installing and opening apps. Apps that ask for permission to run as an administrator should be viewed with a high degree of suspicion.
If you're going to be dumb enough to install an unknown A/V without reading reviews or seeing what users are saying on the Play store then you deserve what you get
so says the man that loves his HTC One.....I think you even called it amazing in another threadMore or less. Which is strange considering how much they spend on their data plan and the phone. If you can afford that, you can afford 99 cents for an app.
No ... we have 'options'. I installed apps from original designers and beta apps (Swipe before it was on Play). For Steve Jobs (and I guess true Apple followers) - it is inconceivable to purchase from anything that doesn't give Apple a profit.
We also have competitive sources other than Play to buy apps such as Samsung and Amazon. It's called a free market and a place where Andriod users roam without penalty. We don't have a big brother trying to plug up our choices with each new software release.
You do have options - you could jailbreak your iPhone like I did and choose from apps far more advanced than those that are available from Apple. My first multitasking and use folders came from jailbreaking long before Apple figured out how to provide it. Of course Steve Jobs publically suggested that anyone jailbreaking their iPhone was either a criminal or a terrorist but I learned to live with it until a better product with open software came along.
