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Android hit with first Trojan, racks up charges via SMS

By

On August 10, 2010, 4:13 PM

android, trojan, s
Kaspersky has reportedly discovered the first Trojan specifically aimed at Android-based handsets. Identified as Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a, the malware is disguised as a harmless media player application and prompts users to install a seemingly standard .APK file that weighs just over 13KB. Once installed, the Trojan sends SMSs to premium rate numbers (those that charge) without the owner's knowledge, allowing the criminals to collect money from charges to the victim's account.

Kaspersky notes that the Trojan-SMS category is currently the most prevalent type of malware for cell phones, and the latest has already infected a number of devices. Although this is regarded as the first Trojan to target Google's mobile OS, the security firm notes that spyware first made its way to the platform last year.

It's expected that Android is attracting more attention from hackers, as the operating system has rapidly become one of the most used among smartphones. Kaspersky recommends that users keep an eye on what services applications request to access when being installed -- especially premium rate services that charge to send messages and calls.

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4 comments

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  1. August 10, 2010 5:18 PM
    captaincranky
    captaincranky, TechSpot Addict, said:

    "The more Droid gets, the more Droid does you out of"...(To be spoken aloud , in the deep, emphatic, self important voice of an announcer) ROFLMAO

    Reply
  2. August 11, 2010 8:28 AM
    kyosuke said:

    Who is out there just making viruses. Why haven't you died yet god.

    Reply
  3. August 11, 2010 10:42 AM
    darkfanar said:

    good news

    Reply
  4. August 15, 2010 9:25 PM
    Flannelwarrior said:

    About two months ago, I was on a sketchy mobile porn site on my Droid, and a download started without any prompt from me. It was called 123USA, but the file type was not supported on Android (I'm assuming it was an executable or a batch file) so the download couldn't commence. It made me laugh though, that I came closer to getting a virus on my phone than I've come to getting one on my PC in years.

    Reply

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