A newly discovered Android malware dubbed Gooligan, infecting as many as 13,000 devices per day, is hijacking Google accounts to install apps from the Play Store and leave fake reviews. Here's what you need to know.
A complex Android banking malware has been discovered which can defeat most voice-based two-factor authentication systems. Here's what you need to know about it.
A new strain of Android ransomware, which disguises itself as a legitimate application, has been discovered to be utilizing the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) for instant messaging, to receive commands and to communicate remotely with the server that controls the malicious installation.
Here's how to check if your Android phone or tablet is vulnerable to the Stagefright bug. Stagefright is a critical Android vulnerability that provides access to a device on the back of a malicious media message being received.
A new piece of malware, which is capable of infiltrating various specifications of Android-based devices, has seemingly hit a new low in terms of sheer malice. Once installed, the infected device is abruptly disabled, showing only a pop-up message that demands significant sums of money be parted with by the victim.
Although Android is, due to its open source nature, seen as a target by many hackers and individuals that wish to steal information for illicit purposes, the Google Play Store is, at least in theory, as safe as most other app portals. After all, it is moderated by Google to ensure that apps comply with the rules and terms of service, and anything suspect is usually disposed of in a swift and timely manner. But one app by the name of Brightest Flashlight, which requires no further description, appears to be keeping users in the dark about how it collects user location data before sending it to third party ad firms.
The month of August is often the time when families come together to go on a relaxing summer holiday. The kids are off school. The students are usually on an extended break from college or university making it the perfect time for relaxation and vacation. However, it seems that not everyone favors this relaxing mentality, with Internet security company Symantec stating that in August alone more than 1,000 fraudulent and potentially malicious apps were uploaded into the Android ecosystem via the Google Play Store.
Google's Android firmware may be continually improving in a number of key areas, but one category of constant concern is that of Android malware and general security threats, which seem to be rising just as readily as the platform is. Worryingly, security outfit Trend Micro notes of how the number of malicious apps in existence across the Web has increased to 700,000, with almost 200,000 having manifested in the last quarter alone. With up to 99 percent of devices potentially at risk, the threat is very real, and although users are at least becoming more cautious and aware, it would seem the malware makers are more determined than ever.
Google's Android may be in the news for all the right reasons at the moment, but just a few days ago, security vendor Bluebox Security announced that it had discovered a way that malicious code could be injected into otherwise entirely legitimate Android applications. Now, it would appear, this issue is more than just a theory after security firm Symantec announced in a blog post that it had discovered two apps that had fallen foul of the exploit, named Master Key exploit.
Owners of smartphones powered by Google's Android have not had a great time of it of late, especially if they're the kind of users that worry about security. First, news came that a potentially major Android security flaw had been unearthed, leaving the vast majority of Android devices vulnerable. Good news followed in that Google was aware of the issue and had even managed to get a patch out to carriers and OEMs. Great stuff.
