FBI Issues Android Virus Warning 129
Dupple writes "The IC3 has been made aware of various malware attacking Android operating systems for mobile devices. Some of the latest known versions of this type of malware are Loozfon and FinFisher. Loozfon is an information-stealing piece of malware. Criminals use different variants to lure the victims. One version is a work-at-home opportunity that promises a profitable payday just for sending out email. A link within these advertisements leads to a website that is designed to push Loozfon on the user's device. The malicious application steals contact details from the user's address book and the infected device's phone number."
Should rename these Darwin Viruses (Score:4, Insightful)
Places and things people should not be clicking on in the first place.
Re:Should rename these Darwin Viruses (Score:5, Insightful)
You still have to deal with typo squatters. If you type goole.com instead of google.com or some such you may end up at a phony website designed to phish you.
Fortunately, it seems that the big players have grabbed most of the common typos like gogle.com, bankoamerica.com and so forth. But out of millions of sites, there's bound to be plenty of opportunities for a determined script kiddie.
You can't fix stupid. (Score:5, Insightful)
Android is secure enough as it is. My HTC will check with me and double check before it installs any apk. As long as there are people who can be suckered into installing unknown software, we will always have viruses.
Seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Education (Score:4, Insightful)
Smart platform vendors donate development platforms to colleges and universities around the world
But not to high schools. Or is there a good reason that kids shouldn't be programming before college? Or between graduating from college and getting a job in the field?
Wow, dangerous (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:You can't fix stupid. (Score:4, Insightful)
My HTC will check with me and double check before it installs any apk. As long as there are people who can be suckered into installing unknown software
So, basically, you acknowledge you can't sideload safely? How's that walled garden suiting you?
Just like with all software, you need to trust your source. If I don't like Google Market's policies, prices, or selection, I can move to Amazon's App store (or one of the other alternative app stores). Or I can download direct from the software maker.
What alternative does an IOS have if he wants to install an app that's been rejected from Apple's store because of the content or features?
Re:Yet another excellent reason... (Score:0, Insightful)
And you probably don't remember that the logs only existed on the phones, but were available by looking at the backup file. They were never transmitted. Google was found to be actually transmitting the current coordinates back to Google for warehousing. Apple removed the file, Google lobbied to allow them to keep doing it.
Remember that? Or are you just lying to spread more Apple hatred which makes the Android community look like a bunch of children.
Re:Seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
Translation for the masses (Score:2, Insightful)
I will install a normal application, like I have done many time before.
Loading application that are outside of the walled garden is one of the main reasons for using Android. A bunch of my technical friends advocated this as the main reason for buying this phone in the first place.
Sideloading an app, as my technical friends showed me, involves a few steps.
I'm going to get paid to email people, so the company will need to make sure that I'm actually doing it. In fact, the instructions that they provided actually specified that I'd need to do this.
Re:Should rename these Darwin Viruses (Score:0, Insightful)
Oh, but I though that Android WAS a virus.