Exploits Propagated Via Social Media Increase

Orome1 writes "Infection via email, traditionally the most popular vector for spreading malware, has declined in favor of greater use of social media. These include clickjacking attacks using the Facebook 'Like' button, fake Web pages positioned on search engines (BlackHat SEO), and zero-day vulnerability exploits. The rise in popularity of smart phones powered by Google's Android operating system for smart phones has been accompanied by an increase in attacks targeting these devices. A number of different threats have appeared, primarily aimed at racking up phone bills or using the geolocalization function to transmit a user's position to a third party."

Re:Android default permissions

[Anonymous Coward]

And actually using an Android phone says otherwise. Just install a simple app like "Text Edit" by Paul Mach - easy to find on the market. Before installing, hit the menu softkey, then the security icon that pops up. It will say "No permissions required."

Use it, save a file. Where does the file end up? On your SD card. How did it do that?

Now go to the homescreen, hit menu, applications, manage applications, text edit. Scroll down and what do we see under permissions? "modify/delete SD card contents" and "read phone state and identity". Permissions you were NOT warned about during the install.

This isn't Paul Mach's fault. I just used his app as an example. This is Google's fault and they need to fix Android security!

Duh

[Spad]

People with nefarious goals target massively popular services with shitty security and largely uninformed users. Film at 11.

Statestheobviousman

[Idiomatick]

"The rise in popularity of smart phones powered by Google's Android operating system for smart phones has been accompanied by an increase in attacks targeting these devices."

In other news, the rise in people having unprotected sex resulted in a rise in pregnancies.

And a rise in the number of boaters has increased the number of boating accidents.

No way!

[RocketRabbit]

I say no way! Nobody could be pirating my clicks. /drools and goes back to raising virtual pigs and sending virtual gifts to virtually unknown "friends."

Comment Count

[cosm]

As of posting I see 21 comments for this story, ~5 hours after its initial posting. Conclusion: Nobody cares and/or nobody empathizes with those affected by said malicious exploits propagated via social media.

Hell, if anything, I call it digital natural selection. Taking out the weak and ignorant one Like at a time.