It was only a matter of time really and now the very first Trojan-SMS for SmartPhones has been found on mobiles running Google’s Android operating system.
The new malicious application called Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer-A disguises itself as a harmless media player application and according to Russian security company Kaspersky Lab; it has already infected a number of SmartPhones, but only in Russia.
Once users have installed the small file of just over 13 KB with the standard .APK extension, the phone starts sending text messages to premium rate numbers which is how the criminals get their pay off.
Android phones have been extremely popular and as such are obviously an attractive and potentially lucrative target for criminals.
“The IT market research and analysis organization IDC has noted that those selling devices running Android are experiencing the highest growth in sales among smartphone manufacturers. As a result, we can expect to see a corresponding rise in the amount of malware targeting that platform,” said Denis Maslennikov, a Manager at Kaspersky Lab.
As always, users should be very particular about what applications they download and what functions they allow access to during installation of an app, such as authorising text messages etc., otherwise you could end up with one heck of a bill.
“Our application permissions model protects against this type of threat” said Google in a statement.
“When installing an application, users see a screen that explains clearly what information and system resources the application has permission to access, such as a user’s phone number or sending an SMS.
“Users must explicitly approve this access in order to continue with the installation, and they may uninstall applications at any time. We consistently advise users to only install apps they trust. In particular, users should exercise caution when installing applications outside of Android Market.”
It’s not the firs time that malicious spyware has infected Android phones but it’s the first one found that sends text messages and which has been specifically designed for Android phones.
Kaspersky Labs are planning to offer Kaspersky Mobile Security for Android sometime early next year.
The thing is, the hype is a bit over the top for this particular Trojan at the moment as the scam will only affect Android SmartPhones in Russia and will only work on Russian networks but it does serve as a warning of what’s to come.
