Malicious Android apps proliferate; Google not doing enough

Sun, 30/12/2012 - 11:11 by Dinesh Dhiman

The number of malicious applications on Google Android operating system is increasing at an alarming rate and Google seems to be clueless on how to tackle the issue.

How users can protect their Android devices from getting infected:

1. Avoid downloading from links or Third Party marketplaces

2. Use a security software

3. Apply the security patches as soon as these are released

App scanner fails to track most malicious apps
Google showed some spine by unveiling Bouncer, an app scanner that was aimed at filtering out malware from its app market. However, experts were quick to point out that the Bouncer is not delivering. It could filter only 15 percent of all the malicious apps uploaded into its app store.

Google acquired Virus Total in a bid to rein-in malware in its app store. Given the ever-increasing number of malicious apps, this move too seems to be not working for the search engine giant.

Scary numbers
Security firms are coming up with frightening numbers that indicate the acuteness of the problem. Jupiter Networks reports that there is an increase of 3,325 percent in Android-specific malware as compared to the last year. TrustGo presents a less-scary picture, though it reports a whopping 580 percent increase in the malware in the same period.

As per TrustGo, high-risk apps were downloaded 175 million times from the Google Play Store. High-risk apps are not necessarily malware, but these tend to do plenty of damage to the users? devices. These apps can make fraudulent transactions, and reveal the location and phone number of the users, exposing them to spam and telemarketing calls.

Besides that, these high-risk apps can expose Android phones to malware, replace the home page on browser, and add their own icons. Users accessing third party marketplaces to download apps are particularly at a heightened risk.

What users can do
It makes perfect sense to remain cautious while downloading any app from Google Play Store or any third party marketplace. Users should avoid downloading apps from links and stick to the official marketplace, instead. They ought to have a security software installed on their Android devices and install official security patches as soon as these are released.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tsfeedsfilmy/~3/dlGsdI_ipss/malicious-android-apps-proliferate-google-not-doing-enough.html

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