Thursday, 17 May 2012
Android.Counterclank infects 5 million
Android.Counterclank infects 5 million
By Gregg Keizer, Computerworld (US) | Feb 1, 2012
0 comments
Digg
PrintThe largest-ever Android malware campaign may have duped as many as 5 million users into downloading infected apps from Google's Android Market, Symantec said today.
Dubbed "Android.Counterclank" by Symantec, the malware was packaged in 13 different apps from three different publishers, with titles ranging from "Sexy Girls Puzzle" to "Counter Strike Ground Force." Many of the infected apps were still available on the Android Market as of 3 p.m. ET Friday.
"They don't appear to be real publishers," Kevin Haley, a director with Symantec's security response team, said in an interview today. "These aren't rebundled apps, as we've seen so many times before."
Haley was referring to a common tactic by Android malware makers to repackage a legitimate app with attack code, then re-release it to the marketplace in the hope that users will confuse the fake with the real deal.
Symantec estimated the impact by combining the download totals -- which the Android Market shows as ranges -- of the 13 apps, arriving at a figure between 1 million on the low end and 5 million on the high. "Yes, this is the largest malware [outbreak] on the Android Market," said Haley.
Android.Counterclank is a Trojan horse that when installed on an Android smartphone collects a wide range of information, including copies of the bookmarks and the handset maker. It also modifies the browser's home page.
The hackers have monetized the malware by pushing unwanted advertisements to compromised Android phones.
Similar
Add comment
knowledge_central_tab
Knowledge Central
Trusted Mobility Index
The mobile ecosystem of devices, services and networks is at a critical inflection point.While the mobile revolution is unleashing massive opportunities in both emerging and mature economies, it is also increasing in complexity and confusion. The reality is the lightning-fast adoption of powerful, smart devices is outpacing society’s ability to secure them. Today, trust in mobility hangs in the balance.
The state of the Internet, Q4, 2011
Geography appears to play a role in frequency of observed attacks on specific ports. For example, Port 23 (Telnet) is a favorite target for attacks observed to be originating from South Korea and Turkey, where it accounted for more than five times the number of attacks targeting the next most popular port (445 in both countries). Other instances of geography-based port targeting include observed attacks centered on Port 1433 (Microsoft SQL Server) in China and on Port 80 (WWW/HTTP) in Indonesia.
HID Global deploys a centralized, web-based IP access control solution at Fuxi Power Plant
Unable to meet the needs for real-time monitoring with its traditional patrol system, China's Fuxi Power Plant has deployed HID Global's VertX V2000.
StubHub: How to spot fraud before it happens
Whenever a list of log-on credentials is dumped onto the Web, retailers get hit with waves of automated attacks. Here's how ticket marketplace StubHub fights the threat.
