Android Phone Tips
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| Android Phone Tips |
If you've read much news lately, you know it's that time of year again -- time for the semiannual Android malware freakout show. You know what I'm talking about: Some company, usually one that happens to sell a virus protection program for Android, comes out with a slew of blogs and press releases warning us of a super-duper-scary virus monster just waiting to attack vulnerable Android phones.
Our latest Android malware episode started a few days ago when Lookout, a company that -- wait for it -- sells a virus protection program for Android, posted a blog and sent out a press release warning of a newly found threat. Called "DroidDream," the threat lurked in about 50 apps within the Android Market, Lookout said.
If installed on your phone, those apps could potentially let an attacker install additional programs and ultimately access some of your device's data. Long story short, Google axed the infected apps from the Market, remotely removed any traces of the programs from users' phones, and released a patch that'd prevent the apps from doing any more harm.
There's even (gasp!) porn. We're used to this when surfing the Web, right? We evaluate programs before we download them. If something seems shady, we click away. Google removed 21 popular free apps from the Android Market that secretly stole available data on users' smart phones and allowed for more malware to be unknowingly downloaded.
Google reported that at least 50,000 Android users downloaded the malware-laden apps and decided to yank the list of apps to protect other consumers. The apps are designed to obtain root access to mobile devices and available data, such as mobile provider and user IDs, reports AndroidPolice.com.
The Android watchdog site says the worst part is that the apps make it possible to download more malware without the users knowledge and who knows what kind of personal information and data such bad software could extract and exploit. The list of bad Android apps include: Falling Down, Super Guitar Solo, Chess, Photo Editor, Super History Eraser, Hot Sexy Videos, Falling Ball Dodge, Dice Roller, Funny Paint and Spider Man.
By. Android Phone Tips
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