01/13/10
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Recent Android attacks may have been malware
While the free market is the basis of the American economy, a little security can go a long way – or so recent visitors to the Android Marketplace may have found out. Google's Android may have been hit recently with malware from apps that were available for a short time in the Android Marketplace. Google removed the apps, but while they were available they may have stolen users' online banking credentials, although that still remains a bit of a mystery. “We're trying to get copies,” said Mikko Hypponen, the chief research officer of Helsinki-based F-Secure, who added the apps have been unavailable, primarily because Google yanked the applications from Android Market. “But it's possible that they didn't do anything directly malicious.” There were dozens of apps available from someone calling his or herself 09Droid – for more than 40 financial institutions – leading Hypponen to question the purpose of the apps, beyond making money from selling bogus apps. “It's perfectly possible that they are malicious, but I think it's pretty unlikely that someone would target this many banks and credit unions at the same time with an Android-based attack,” Hypponen said.