WARNING! Android SMS VIRUS in the wild

musclepower — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:25:07 +0800

Please take proper steps to ensure fellow users of android fones are properly informed and protected.
this is Nasty!

:sauce:

QUOTE

SMS trojan targets Android phones
KASPERSKY has detected the first widespread malware that targets the Android smartphones.
Called the Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a, it proliferates in the guise of a harmless media player, which when installed will send out premium rate text messages without the owner's knowledge.
Denis Maslennikov, the mobile research group manager at Kaspersky, said this form of malware, also known as SMS trojan, can rake up huge bills.
SMS trojan is the most widespread class of malware for mobile phones and the AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a is the first to target the Android platform, he said.
As the Android smartphone market is experiencing high growth, users can expect a rise in malware attacks in the future, he said.
In light of this, the company plans to release Kaspersky Mobile Security for Android in early 2011.
In the meantime, Maslennikov urged users to pay close attention to the services that an application requests to access when it is being installed.
Also, only download from a trusted source.
"Basically, take the same precautions as when you are using a PC," he said. - ZAM KARIM

:sauce:

QUOTE

Popular Porn Sites Distribute a New Trojan Targeting Android Smartphones

Kasperksy Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, has detected a second piece of malware, categorized as a Trojan-SMS, which targets smartphones running on the Android platform.

In an attempt to infect as many devices as possible, cybercriminals are distributing the new malware via the Russian-language sites that come out on top of searches for pornographic videos. Revealingly, the owners of these adult content sites are deliberately prompting Android users to download the new Trojan, while users of other platforms receive the desired content.

As with its predecessor, the latest Trojan, named Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.b, masquerades as a media player. A smartphone can only be infected if the user manually installs the application. Users of smartphones running Android are asked to download the pornplayer.apk application from an infected webpage in order to view adult content videos. The installation file is only 16.4 KB and during installation the Trojan seeks the user's consent to send SMS messages – a requirement that a media player is very unlikely to need.

Once the user launches the fake application, Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.b begins sending SMS messages to a premium rate number without the user's knowledge. The messages cost $6 each, resulting in hefty sums being transferred from the user's account to that of the cybercriminals.

"Android users should pay close attention to the services that an application seeks permission to access," said Denis Maslennikov, Mobile Research Group Manager at Kaspersky Lab. "Automatically permitting a new application to access every service that it says it needs to means you could end up with malicious or unwanted applications doing all sorts of things without requesting any additional information."

The code insideTrojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.b is similar to that of Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a – the first Android Trojan-SMS that was detected by Kaspersky Lab experts a month ago. This suggests that both of these malicious applications were authored by one and the same person, or group of people.
...

beginning of de end of android

musclepower — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:14:17 +0800

htc has launched a full range of winmob fones.
surely they cannot continue to support both android and winmob equally.
and judging from de initial reviews, win mob looks much better and more smoother den android.
let de fight begins.

QUOTE

HTC's relationship with Microsoft is the stuff of daytime television. It was HTC's commitment to building high quality QWERTY handsets for Windows Mobile that first gave the young Taiwanese company the spotlight. HTC then shifted its allegiance to Android just as the green monster was on the rise (and WinMo in decline). So where are we today? Well, of the ten Windows Phone 7 handsets announced yesterday, half were from HTC. If that doesn't signal HTC's commitment to Redmond then maybe a quote will. Speaking at a press conference in Taipei yesterday, HTC CEO Peter Chou said, "Right now we have Windows Phone 7 and Android, and focus the same on each, but let the market decide." Peter then promised more WP7 handsets in 2011 without getting into specifics. So let's check in next year and see how things go, shall we?

:source:

Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by musclepower

WARNING! Android SMS VIRUS in the wild

beginning of de end of android