Malware Report: Android growing in popularity

Within a short time, the smartphone operating system Android become the most popular target for mobile malware has evolved. The Android Market is not free of them - the number of Android-Malware is increasing even in strongly.

In the second half of 2011, criminals have increasingly taken to target owners of smartphones. Among all systems Android is now the top target of mobile malware, even before the cross-platform Java editions such as J2ME, which is used in many mobile phones. The smartphone operating system from Google is so popular because it is the market leader in the mobile sector, in addition, the distribution of the apps currently insufficiently controlled, the anti-virus specialist Kaspersky.

 



In September alone, the number rose to new Android malware to 30 percent. Meanwhile, Android brings together more than 46 percent of mobile malware rising up, trend. An alarming trend when one considers that such contaminated apps have appeared already in the official Android Market.

An example of an infected Android-malware program that appeared in the official Android Market is Trojan-Spy.AndroidOS.Antammi.b. The Trojan disguised as a simple app for downloading ringtones and after a tip from Kaspersky Lab removed from the Android Market. The malicious program has it in for Russian users, who are accustomed to send premium SMS text messages to payment services referred to relate, for example, ringtones or songs.

While this transaction is legitimate illegal actions occur in the background. As with traditional desktop Antammi.b malware collects anything from contacts and text messages to GPS coordinates and photos. The record of activities will then send an e-mail sent to the criminals and uploaded the stolen data to a server.