FBI issues Android malware warning
- Thread starter djk
- Start date
I really like the Android OS especially after playing around with Jelly Bean. Yet when I read about the dangers of this OS because of its openness I am hesitant to jump in and stick with the boring Apple. Plus the Android ecosystem is TERRIBLE compared to Apple's. If Google is able to resolve these two issues I would jump in in a heart beat.
Yup, me too. I want a larger screen but the apps on Android cannot compare to iOS IMO.
That Galaxy S3 I was testing it out for a full 45 minutes a few weeks ago I was very impressed in how that OS is designed. Plus that almost 5 inch screen is very easy on the eyes especially reading books on the Kindle app. I have an iPod Touch 4th gen because Apple at the moment has amazing Baccarat apps I use for as testing engines to test my strategies before I hit the tables. Android at the moment doesn't have this and the Baccarat apps are second rate. Very tempted to purchase the Nexus 7 but another thing that is holding me back is that it doesn't have microSD expansion.
Makes sense, especially if you're using your phone to make money. I trade options and the apps that I have on my iPhone are solid. The ones I've found on Android like your experience are very second rate.
I'd like to get a Galaxy Note 2. But until the app situation improves, I'm staying on iOS.
Android phone users should be on guard for new malware that can spread to the phone from mobile websites. Meanwhile, a fresh batch of malicious apps has surfaced in the Google Play store.
"This appears to be the first time that compromised websites have been used to distribute malware targeting Android devices," said Lookout Security on its website.
The NotCompatible Android trojan first appears as a system update to the mobile user who may have visited a compromised website, the security firm says.
"Like any drive-by downloads, a user needs to install the downloaded application before a device will be infected. Based on our initial investigation, we’ve confirmed that a number of websites have been compromised."
There's good news, the firm says: "Affected sites appear to show relatively low traffic and we expect total impact to Android users to be low."
Meanwhile, a new wave of Android apps with malware have hit Google's Android market, now called Google Play.
Trend Micro is among the security companies reporting on the malicious apps. One app, in particular, Spy Phone PRO+, "which explicitly describes itself as a spying app has also been flagged as a threat by Trend Micro due to its potential for misuse."
The app's "capabilities include tracking a phone’s location, phone calls, and messages," Trend Micro said on its blog.
Android app security holes have long been a concern because of the mobile operating system's more open architecture and the app market's less stringent standards for developers than others such as Apple's iOS or Research In Motion's BlackBerry OS.
Earlier this year, Google said it was using a service called Bouncer that automatically polices its app market and takes down offenders before they strike.
It may not have worked in the latest examples, with 17 "bad mobile apps," and 700,000 downloads of those apps, as of May 3, Trend Micro said.
Contacted Friday, Google said in a statement to msnbc.com that it has "removed the apps from Google Play that violate our policies."
"This appears to be the first time that compromised websites have been used to distribute malware targeting Android devices," said Lookout Security on its website.
The NotCompatible Android trojan first appears as a system update to the mobile user who may have visited a compromised website, the security firm says.
"Like any drive-by downloads, a user needs to install the downloaded application before a device will be infected. Based on our initial investigation, we’ve confirmed that a number of websites have been compromised."
There's good news, the firm says: "Affected sites appear to show relatively low traffic and we expect total impact to Android users to be low."
Meanwhile, a new wave of Android apps with malware have hit Google's Android market, now called Google Play.
Trend Micro is among the security companies reporting on the malicious apps. One app, in particular, Spy Phone PRO+, "which explicitly describes itself as a spying app has also been flagged as a threat by Trend Micro due to its potential for misuse."
The app's "capabilities include tracking a phone’s location, phone calls, and messages," Trend Micro said on its blog.
Android app security holes have long been a concern because of the mobile operating system's more open architecture and the app market's less stringent standards for developers than others such as Apple's iOS or Research In Motion's BlackBerry OS.
Earlier this year, Google said it was using a service called Bouncer that automatically polices its app market and takes down offenders before they strike.
It may not have worked in the latest examples, with 17 "bad mobile apps," and 700,000 downloads of those apps, as of May 3, Trend Micro said.
Contacted Friday, Google said in a statement to msnbc.com that it has "removed the apps from Google Play that violate our policies."
