Lookout for Android Issues Security Update for Android SMS Trojan

by Antonio Wells Aug 10, 2010 9:55 PM – 4 Comments

According to Kaspersky Lab an Android app disguised as a “Movie Player” is in deed a SMS Trojan app designed to send text messages to premium rate numbers without the users knowledge nor consent, resulting in money passing from a user’s account to that of the cyber criminals. Lookout, makers of mobile security software, is already on the job of protecting users who have their Lookout Mobile Security application installed by releasing an over the air update to protect against the Trojan.

Currently there is no evidence the app was in Google’s Android Market however installed outside the Market. The user had to voluntarily accept application installs outside the Android Market by enabling and accepting the feature in the settings menu known as “Unknown sources”, which allows installation of non-Market applications. Furthermore the Trojan seems to only have affected Android smartphone users in Russia and only works on Russian networks.

According to Denis Maslennikov, Senior Malware Researcher at Kaspersky Lab, there’s not an exact number of infected devices available at present, but the outbreak is currently regional. For now, only Russian Android users can actually lose money after installing the Trojan, but anyone can be infected.

Via ReadWriteWeb

What to do if you think you’re affected? Here are some tips from Lookout:

How to tell if you’re affected

Review your phone bill for any premium SMS messages you did not send
If you have recently downloaded a media player, check the permissions to ensure it does not have the ability to send SMS messages. (Go to Settings, Applications, Manage Applications)

Be aware of the Android Apps you install

There has been a lot of news around mobile application security and data protection lately, one of the greatest takeaways in all this is the enlightenment of the consumer to be aware of the permissions requested when installing applications on Android phones. If an app requests a permission you are not comfortable with, either do not install it or contact the developer to inquire more.

Tags: Android Security, Android SMS Trojan, Insecure Android Apps, Kaspersky Lab, Lookout, Lookout Mobile Security, Text Message Trojan, Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a

Categorised in: Apps Blog, Featured, News

4 Comments

By Seriously on August 11, 2010 at 12:58 am:

This is overblown, the app never existed in the marketplace and only actually affected a handful of users who downloaded it directly. More FUD.

Reply
- By Jason Norment on August 11, 2010 at 7:44 am:
  
  Any security threat is a concern that needs to be addressed, no matter whether it was in the market or not. You may not have been directly affected by this application but the knowledge that they do exist can help create awareness about these types of threats moving forward. We don’t typically worry too much about viruses for our desktop Windows PC’s because viruses and trojans are well known types of malware that you may encounter. Since the popularity of mobile devices is increasing, they become a bigger target for malicious software developers as well. There are a significant number of users who download apps not using the Android Market so this type of information is very informative, IMO. Even the Market has been subject to apps of “questionable nature”.
  
  Main point: Just be aware of what you download and put on your mobile devices, Market or not. Not all users pay attention to the permissions of the software they install.
  
  Reply
By Seriously on August 11, 2010 at 11:43 am:

Not really in this case, it is an application that needs to be downloaded directly, only affects users in Russia. Only a few people actually were infected with it. Both Kapersky and Lookout are over inflating the risk to make people scared into using their products. The security issue that needs to be addressed is common sense, just like PCs don’t install applications from untrusted sources, you don’t need Lookout or Kapersky for that.

Considering the FUD Lookout pulled at Blackhat they have lost all credibility in the security community.

Reply
- By Jason Norment on August 11, 2010 at 1:23 pm:
  
  I agree and disagree. Let me explain:
  
  It’s not uncommon for a company to want to help boost the awareness and need for their products. That’s just marketing in general and it’s a touchy business. How the company goes about their marketing practices is another topic all together. I agree that it’s unusual Lookout seems to be the only one uncovering these types of issues.
  
  Good news is Lookout is a free program. Bad news is I don’t want to rely on it to keep my phone safe without any other options. I stand by my previous message with my main point: Watch what you download to your phone whether it’s from the Market on an unknown source. Users don’t always look at the permissions these applications are given.
  
  Security with technology will always be a concern. Apple, Linux, Windows, Android…there is no exception. I’m glad that the awareness of security of mobile devices has been risen and will continue to be under watchful eye moving forward. It may only affect Russian users but this may be the additional fire under the kettle we needed to get this moving.
  
  Reply